‘Settles for Jump Shots’: NBA Legend Has Advice for Giannis Antetokounmpo on Breaking His Limitations

Unlike the stars like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, or even Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t enter the league as a shiny penny. As a result, he was never the top prospect coming into the NBA and saw fourteen teams passing him in the draft. The boy from Greece needed some exposure & time to progress and show his capabilities. 

Even today, as a 26-YO Giannis marches into his maiden NBA Finals, there are things he needs to work on. The star has accumulated innumerable personal accolades in his eight years on the American soil but there’s still a wide scope for improvement.

Vince Carter on Giannis Antetokounmpo and his limitations

In a recent interview, 8x All-Star Vince Carter shared how Giannis has the potential to make multiple NBA finals appearances in the future. However, he also discussed the limitations in the Freak’s game that the star must handle with care. 

The 44-YO emphasised the importance of practising freshly sharpened skills in the live games for confidence building. He detailed, “When Giannis is aggressive and downhill, there’s not many that can stop him. He limits himself because he settles for jump shots. When you’re working on the next facet of your game, for him the jump shot outside the paint, the three-point shooting. He’s always heard people say, he has to develop shot… You have to see if it works in the game.”

Then, the Raptors great agreed that it was wise of Giannis to use his paint scoring against the Hawks. That, because the stakes were much high in the ECF and settling for any less would’ve had implications. He argued, “Sometimes he’s doing that and he’s seeing results, sometimes he’s defensive going in… In the heat of battle, when you need a bucket, you go to what works.”

Read more – Is Giannis Antetokounmpo Playing at the Tokyo Olympics 2021?

What do the statistics suggest about the Milwaukee Bucks leader?

Vince Carter himself averaged 1.5 converted three-pointers in his super-long 22 years in the league. But Giannis Antetokounmpo is half as efficient with his 0.6 made 3Ps as his average until this year. However, the stats for the Freak have improved in the last two seasons where he has shot at 30.4% with more attempts in his kitty. 

But his playoff numbers (until ECF) were pretty dire where he averaged 18.2% from downtown and 53.7% from FT line. The world saw the Atlanta crowd mocking the deer for his extended time requirement to prepare for those clutch FTs. And all that pressure certainly affected the Freak who air-balled two of those during Game 4.

So yes, there are limitations to Giannis’ game and he is yet to become an all-round player. Nevertheless, the man is in the finals and can still win the title with his teammates closing the gap of those issues.

Watch this story – Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Game 4 Heroics Against the Hawks in ECF