The Milwaukee Bucks are looking great early in the season largely due to the play of Giannis Antetokounmpo. This season he is averaging 31.0 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. He is one of six players in the NBA who is averaging 30+ points per game. However, there is one stat that shows how Giannis’ efficiency makes his 30 points per game more impressive.
Players averaging 30+ points per game:
Luka
Steph
Shai
Giannis
Tatum
MitchellNBA ranking in minutes per game for those players:
Mitchell – 1st
Luka – 2nd
Tatum – 3rd
Shai – 11th
Steph – 22nd
Giannis – 45th— Nathan Marzion (@nathanmarzion) November 26, 2022
Minutes Played Shows Giannis’ Efficiency
Averaging 30+ points per game is something to be celebrated. However, Giannis is doing it in significantly fewer minutes played. While most everyone who is averaging 30+ points is in the top 20 of minutes played, Giannis is ranked 45th. Let’s take Donovan Mitchell as an example. He is averaging exactly 30 points per game at the time of writing this article and is first in minutes played at 37.5 minutes per game. Giannis is averaging 31.0 points per game and playing 32.7 minutes per game. In five fewer minutes of playing time, Giannis is averaging more points.
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Giannis Is A Cut Above The Rest
Giannis’ efficiency is the most impressive part of his game. Other players are scoring but they need significantly more time on the court than Giannis does in order to achieve 30 points. While Giannis is the focal point of the offense, the Bucks are not void of talent in other positions. Jrue Holiday gets his chances every game. Brook Lopez is having an offensive resurgence. Many others are chipping in here and there with big games. Giannis is being very efficient with the basketball and it is making his team better.
It will be interesting to see what happens to Giannis’ scoring once Khris Middleton comes back. Middleton is their next-best scorer and I expect Giannis to take a back seat some nights if Middleton is feeling it. The good news is that regardless of how many points he scores, Giannis’ efficiency shouldn’t go away. No matter how many Giannis’ stats I hear, his skills on the court never cease to amaze me.
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