Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Worked Out With Former NBA Star to Improve His Game

The superstar for the Bucks shares what he did to help him play at his current MVP level.

Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates after winning the Emirates NBA Cup championship game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the best teams in the NBA for the last several years. A big reason why has been Giannis Antetokounmpo. His unique set of skills makes him one of the best players in the NBA. His strength and size are just too hard for teams to deal with.

Antetokounmpo has been one of the best players in the league this season. He's averaging 32.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. He's shooting at an incredible 61% from the field as well. There aren't many players in the NBA putting up better stats than that.

One of the things that helped him play at this level is something he did in the offseason. Antetokounmpo revealed while he was getting ready for the NBA Cup that he did a week's worth of workouts with one of the best frontcourt players of his generation, Kevin Garnett.

"I had a week of workouts with him. He was sweating more than me. I was the one working out." 😅

KG stopped by practice in Vegas. pic.twitter.com/I87IEs7YxR

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 16, 2024

Garnett was one of the best big men to ever play the game. He was as skilled as it gets, and Antetokounmpo has a lot of the same skills that Garnett possessed. It's interesting to see that Antetokounmpo said that Garnett was genuinely exhausted after those workouts with him.

Part of the reason why Antetokounmpo has been so successful this season is that he has almost entirely eliminated the three-point shot from his games. After years of trying to be a reliable three-point shooter once teams started creating a wall in front of him in the paint, he has decided he's better off without it.

So far this season, Antetokounmpo has taken just 0.7 threes per game. That's his lowest total since his second season. Perhaps that's something that Garnett was able to get into his head that he didn't need to have part of his game in order to be an effective player.

The Bucks have a lot of other three-point shooters surrounding Antetokounmpo. Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, A.J. Green, and Andre Jackson can all shoot threes. Even Bobby Portis is a capable three-point shooter. No matter who is on the court with Antetokounmpo, he can pass it to someone who can hit an outside shot.

Milwaukee is surging with a ton of momentum. They are coming off an NBA Cup win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is one of the best teams in the league. The Bucks look like they are in a good shot to win an NBA title.

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