A Thought About Giannis
I’m starting to think that one of the weird byproducts of media commentary around Giannis Antetokounmpo — that he’s a ‘Robin,’ not a ‘Batman’; that Khris or Jrue need to be the first option when it comes to the last five minutes of play; that he’s Shaq 2.0 who needs a Kobe — is actually a byproduct of how weird the roster construction has been around Giannis. And I think we see some hint as to what could be (and why it feels weird to the ‘He needs a Kobe’ types) with the following numbers:
The above numbers show us which team scored the most points-per-possession in transition during the 2020-2021 season. The below numbers show us which team attempted the most points-per-possession in transition over the 2020-2021 season.
Let’s see how those numbers transition into the playoffs — first, with FG% …
… and then, with attempts —
These numbers aren’t terrible — they’re always getting something; and Giannis has skills, as the above-linked video demonstrates — but the gap between attempted points in transition and points scored in transition raises a fascinating question as to what could be unlocked if we had a scenario where — say — De'Aaron Fox and Giannis were both sprinting down the floor together — or Fox, Giannis, and players who can reliably cover a lot of ground during a game were let loose to do their thing, like Fred VanFleet, Harrison Barnes, Terry Rozier, or someone else.
The Bucks are in the finals, so there’s a degree to which the conceit here is moot, but it’s striking that the team keeps trying to run-and-gun and something doesn’t quite click along the way. What’s going on? Is it the reliance on drive-and-kick? The three ball? Or is it an attempt to incorporate the skillset of the other players on the team?