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Two 3-pointers by Khris Middleton and final failures by Trey Burke and Kristaps Porzingis, while Luka Doncic was desperate away from the ball, sealed a long-suffering victory for the Bucks against the Mavericks in the infield. But one of the stories of the match was the 1/10 in free throws by Giannis Antetokounmpo. The MVP of the last two seasons was denied from the personnel line and in the decisive attacks, in fact, he was seen little incisive, perhaps with fear that he would be fouled and would have to return to the personnel pitches. In the two previous games he had signed a brilliant 10/17 and in the season it is at a very poor 57.5%. He shoots 10 a night and hits 5.7.
They are the worst numbers of his career in what is a dangerous trend. After his 68.3% as a rookie, throwing only 2.6 per night, he was above 72% for five seasons, reaching 77 in 2016-17, when he already traveled almost eight times per game to the line. Since then, down: 76, 72.9, 63.3 and the current 57.5%. Giannis, who is also not progressing from triple (still around 30% of last year) knows that there are some limitations that are being exploited by their rivals in the playoffs. If to his problems with the outside shot he joins doubts from the personnel line, the decisive minutes of the important games can become a I swallow for a 26-year-old who has signed the biggest contract in history, a 5-year, $ 228 million extension to tie his future to that of the Milwaukee Bucks, a franchise that has been flying in Regular Season for two years … and crashing in the playoffs (first against the Raptors, then against the Heat).
That 1/10, which has been much talked about in the last few hours, is not just Giannis’ worst free throw game. It’s a historically bad one: only three other players have been at 10% or less with at least ten attempts in a match. They are Shaquille O’Neal (who used to say that his problems from the personnel line were God’s way of reminding him that he is not perfect), Andre Drummond and Al Horford. Antetokounmpo himself has already spoken about what is becoming a topic of debate in Wisconsin: “It’s easy. I have to keep working. Throw more. Concentrate on my mechanics, go step by step. Throw more, that is. The more you throw, the more work you put into it and the better you get. There is no more secret ”.
As soon as the game against the Mavs ended, the Greek forward came out to take free throws. The story applies, so Mike Budenholzer tries not to create drama: “He just has to keep working. It will raise their confidence and put them in. ” Recently, Giannis flirted with a new shooting mechanic and has made attempts to push himself the most diverse: in one, once the season was over, his girlfriend had to sprint if he missed free throws, sometimes with their son in her arms.