How Giannis’s 3-point shot stacks up

National team play in China will offer insight into one of the NBA's biggest questions

BY DAVID THORPE

Just a few months ago, the Milwaukee Bucks were at the top of the NBA: a young MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo, the league’s best record, and hope springing eternal.

A lot has happened since then. The Bucks lost four straight games to the Raptors in the conference finals. They lost a fine young player, Malcolm Brogdon, to the rival Pacers via free agency. All of which leaves them, in most assessments, somewhere in the middle of the NBA’s giant group of contenders. The worry hanging over everything: losing Antetokounmpo in 2021 free agency (or to a trade demand in the lead up). 

Will this story have a happy ending? So often, projecting a team’s fortunes is incredibly complex. In my view, this time it’s simple: If Giannis can take and make way more 3s, the Bucks will cruise, probably to the NBA Finals. If not, they’ll struggle to distinguish themselves. 

Is he up to it? The upcoming World Cup will show us a great deal.

Giannis’s stacking issue
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