Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Quietly Underwent Unique Transformation

As Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo enters his athletic prime, he has made a change to his play style, resulting in less wear on his body.

Antetokounmpo's game a couple of seasons ago was alarmingly reliant on his athleticism, something that goes away over the course of a career.

Like LeBron James early on in his career, Antetokounmpo attacks the rim relentlessly, using his strength, speed, and length to finish over players.

Recently, however, he slowly adopted a change that is meant to preserve his body in the long term.

"The transformation that Antetokounmpo underwent this season offensively was impressive and felt like the first step in a larger transformation that will help keep Antetokounmpo at the same level as the league’s top-level superstar players for years to come," The Athletic's Eric Nehm wrote in a story.

"Antetokounmpo was able to use the mid-range more often to put less stress on his body, while still taking more shots from less than five feet (12 per game) than any other player in the NBA."

Antetokounmpo rose to the top of the NBA playing downhill, taking the ball and running on the transition as much as possible, while running pick and rolls himself or setting screens in the half-court offensive sets.

The only weakness to his game is the lack of a consistent jumpshot. Despite years of working on the shot, it is still not consistent, but he is becoming more comfortable from the mid-range.

Giannis ties the game with this tough midrange 💦 pic.twitter.com/BOz78JLFdd
— Follow HeavenlyBuckets (@Heavenlybuckets) December 31, 2024

Antetokounmpo hit 22.2% of his 3-point shots, his lowest rate since his second year in the NBA.

According to Cleaning the Glass, however, Antetokounmpo made 47% of his long mid-range shots, the highest total of his career. He also made 40% of his short mid-range shots, another career high.

He took many more mid-range shots and made more than he ever has, a change which can make him more unpredictably offensive and protect him from the wear and tear of attacking the rim.

This evolution in the his game can only lead to an extended NBA shelf-life.

More Milwaukee Bucks news:Bucks Encouraged to Part With Giannis Antetokounmpo For Emerging All-Star

Bucks' Damian Lillard Responds to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma Trade Drama

Bucks Rumors: Door Remains Open For Milwaukee to Retain Main Core

NBA Trainer Picks Two Surprising Bucks Players Who Can be Truly Special

Wild Theory Has Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Joining Jason Kidd

Giannis Antetokounmpo Receives Major Warning About Leaving Bucks

For more news and notes on the Milwaukee Bucks, visit Milwaukee Bucks on SI.