One of the things that’s popped most for me this season in growing as a thinker and understanding of basketball is the importance of rhythm and pacing.
Rhythm, as in how one finds comfortability on the court. Pacing, as in how one establishes themselves and gets to their spots in the half-court. The two ultimately go hand in hand, helping to craft the foundation of a player’s ability to read, react to, and manipulate defenses.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is arguably the best player in basketball, which feels like an always-shifting title, but the point remains that he is consistently right there, if not at the pinnacle of the mountain.
There’s a really interesting dichotomy that comes into play with Giannis as a scorer and offensive player. He’s one of the greatest interior scorers of all-time, and just a dominant presence on the court. Yet, he’s worked in a post game steadily over the past few seasons, actively seeking out more of a game from the mid-range and outside the arc.
Giannis is attempting the highest volume of pull-up 2’s since the 2017-18 season with his best efficiency (42.4%), taking 4 per game.
Less than two years ago, one of the main talking points wrt the playoff race and Milwaukee's future: what can Giannis do in the half-court?
And now we're here pic.twitter.com/XCppdrbXDn
— Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) April 5, 2022
The pound-for-pound best finisher in the league taking a fairly average pull-up jumper is good? That’s right!
An average pull-up two isn’t necessarily the shot that breaks the defense’s back. What it opens up and the torque it puts on a defense is a different story, however. His shot and prep can feel mechanical, but that’s kind of what’s so astounding. Those shots did not exist two years ago with that polish and finesse, and now they’re a regularity.
For reference, this was Giannis’ shot chart against the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs during the 2020 bubble.
Per Instat Scouting
And this is Giannis’ shot chart just over the last five games of this season (he’s been on an absolute heater btw: 33.4 points/13.2 boards/4.6 assists on 67.5% true-shooting against five playoff teams. Pretty good!)
Per Instat Scouting
Slowing down his game and further refining his footwork and his handle has allowed him to operate in tighter space with more efficacy. You can run a snug pick and roll for Giannis and even though the defense almost always goes under, he can take on his matchup, get to the post, face-up, or find a way to drive or draw two defenders to send the defense into rotation. The pacing is just different.
He doesn’t need a runway to get to the rim or create a good look. Giannis has engineered his transmission to shift gears and pressure point his explosiveness, which makes for a nasty time for defenders in isolation.
The constant trope of the two-time MVP is that he just barrels to the rim and physically batters his way to 30 points a night. That just isn’t the case anymore (I don’t really think it ever was fully), and we’re at the point where Giannis is not just consistently breaking down a defense, but picking them apart as well.
Teams still try to wall up in the paint on Giannis rim runs, but his adjustments in the halfcourt along with his improved processing of the game have dampened the effectiveness of loading up.
His passing made such absurd strides in the past few seasons, notably in the playoffs and end of the regular season last year, but the consistency has grown this season.
Every game, there are two-to-three passes that are head-turning and not something I would’ve expected two years ago.
Thinking about Giannis' passing this year pic.twitter.com/r9kflnefdv
— Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) April 5, 2022
He has some manipulation to his game. He’s gotten really good at forcing the initial dent in a defense, drawing rotations, and making the defense pay. The ball placement isn’t always sexy, but it’s drastically improved. Most of these passes aren’t last ditch efforts because he gets walled off, rather a quick decision to get the ball to an open shooter.
When you have arguably the most forceful gravitational pull in the league as a scorer, being an above average passer is more than enough to thrash a defense.
These shots from the mid-range and his post scoring aren’t his bread and butter, but what’s so vital is that they make it that much more difficult to sell out and defend the coordinated rim attacks that ARE the basis of his scoring punch.
Scoring from spots with a comfort and fluidity that he didn’t used to have in his game forces the defense to be honest. His patience, pacing, and passing in turn allow him to set up the defense and capitalize.
By forcing defenses to defend him over a greater square footage of the court, he’s made it that much harder to play defense against him. One of the great space-eaters of our time continues to find new and advantageous ways to make you wish you were anywhere but defending him on the hardwood. That’s special!
On one hand, gradual growth is expected of a professional athlete throughout their career and leading into their prime. On the other, it’s jarring that a two-time MVP can continue to add to his game meaningfully at this rate.
While the fate of a postseason series will remain in the hands of a multitude and not just an individual, Giannis’ improvements this season (which have been vastly undersold) are one of the primary reasons for my confidence in the Bucks to make another deep playoff push.
