The Grip - FRI 3.15.19

So, can Giannis shoot now?

March 15, 2019

Friday, March 15th, 2019

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Written while listening to Weather Report's Young and Fine

Giannis's final form

The 3-point shot has long been the final frontier in the evolution of Giannis Antetokounmpo. He rebounds like a center. He drives like a small forward. He passes like a guard. His Basketball-Reference page has four positions listed for him in his first six seasons.He is the living embodiment of the positionless modern basketball revolution. He is the Sloan Conference’s poster boy wrapped within the pages of Kirk Goldsberry’s new book.But, besides an outlier rookie season from deep, he has never been anything but a bad 3-point shooter.Until…….now? Over the last 14 games, Giannis is shooting 38.1 percent from deep on three attempts per game. Over that span, the Bucks are 10-4 and Giannis is also averaging 28.1 points, 12.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.3 blocks on 60.4 percent shooting overall. His 3-point shooting was 19.3 percent entering that stretch; now it’s 24.2 percent.So, yes, while you were griping over Kyrie Irving, Giannis turned into Shaq with an above average 3-point shot. And his stroke from deep has been looking pretty good, as opposed to looking like a high school baseball player trying to shoot a baseball into the batting practice bucket.In this recent 14-game stretch, he’s also driving nearly two times less per game than over his previous 49, 12.9 to 11.1, which would suggest an uptick in more comfortable 3-point attempts.The consensus way to guard Giannis is to sag from outside and make him head toward the paint, which usually just ends in a head of steam and a poster, like when Rudy Gobert tried this strategy earlier this month.But if, or when, a time comes when defenders have to play him close and honor his 3-point shooting, the best-player-in-the-league argument may start and end with Giannis.

Who wants LeBron?

Jeff Van Gundy floated the idea of trading LeBron on Saturday during the 76ers-Warriors game.Yesterday, B/R’s Ric Bucher dropped a piece where he asked several anonymous general managers and owners what the Lakers could get for him.It’s interesting, and Bucher, who writes exactly how he talks, is always good. But this quote just seems silly: "I still think you could get a decent package for him from a bad team," one Western Conference assistant GM says. "A first-round pick and a good young player. But it would've been a lot more a year ago, for sure." When did LeBron James, who is averaging a 27-8-8 and is under contract for the next two years, become Jimmy Butler on an expiring contract? LeBron’s value has to be higher than a pick and Lauri Markkanen.Here’s another quote: "He's not good enough anymore to take four cadavers and get to the Finals," the GM says. "Not in the West." When it’s all said and done, Bill Simmons’ greatest accomplishment will have been spreading his use of the word cadaver all the way into the front office of NBA teams.

  Nikola Jokic's buzzer-beater  

Nikola Jokic's game-winner, which came after a huge Luka Doncic dunk.

  Quick Hits

 Concrete Reads 

  • On Karl-Anthony Towns’ dominance since the All-Star break [ESPN]

  • Willie Cauley-Stein can be the NBA's Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol [Sports Illustrated]

  • The Achilles’ Heel of Every NBA Finals Contender [The Ringer]

  Podcast Pick

Zion’s perfect return [The Ringer]

Best upcoming games

Tonight, 3/15

When: 7 PM ESTHow to Watch: Stream on Reddit

Saturday, 3/16

When: 8:30 PM ESTHow to Watch: ABC

Sunday, 3/17

When: 3:30 PM ESTHow to Watch: ABC