While he’s a two-time MVP today, the Giannis Antetokounmpo fans are in awe of today wasn’t the same one who was selected 15th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft. That version was just 19 years old and was viewed as an extremely raw prospect far from ready to make an immediate impact.
Related: Top-selling NBA jerseys
Antetokounmpo developed into one of the best players in the league. But few would describe the Milwaukee Bucks superstar as a great 3-point shooter.
Yet, Antetokounmpo has shown he doesn’t need to be one of the league’s top shooters to become one of the NBA’s best scorers, capable of averaging 30 points per game. Yet, the ‘Greek Freak’ says we shouldn’t rule out his ability to continue adding more range to his game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is incredible, but a 3-Point Contest might be a stretch
As mentioned, Giannis Antetokounmpo can impact the game on both ends of the floor, but he’s not someone who will hurt teams from distance. Oddly enough, his best season as a 3-point shooter came during his rookie year, at 34.7%, but he also only had 1.5 attempts per game.
It’s all been downhill from there, and Antetokounmpo’s accuracy has been lower than usual this season (25.5% 3PT). If that mark holds, it’s the second-worst of his career but not far off from his average.
Despite his struggles, Antetokounmpo will continue taking 3-point shots to help keep defenses honest, and the 6-foot-11 freight train even says he might even someday be featured in the NBA 3-Point Contest.
“Never say never. Because I really believe in my hard work. I believe I work my butt off. You never know man. Maybe when I’m old and I can’t move the same, and I can’t go through people and get into the paint — maybe I start shooting more 3s. Maybe I start shooting more 3s and my percentage goes up. It’s kind of hard to shoot a lot of 3s, when you can get into the paint and shoot 75% in the paint. Your mind doesn’t let you. But maybe in the future, I’ll do it, when I’m 36, 37 or 38.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo on if he’d ever compete in the NBA’s 3-Point Contest
Like Antetokounmpo, we won’t put a cap on what he’s capable of. This is a player who improved his effective field goal rate each of his first five seasons in the NBA, but competing with the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Stephen Curry, and other top 3-point shooters may be a bit of a stretch.
The NBA 3-Point Contest participants in 2024 range from Damian Lillard (34.4%) to Malik Beasley (44.9%).
Related: NBA MVP race