Giannis Antetokounmpo: ‘I Am at 60 Percent of My Potential’
Written by SOURCE on July 14, 2019
Giannis Antetokounmpo took the NBA by storm this season en route to winning his first MVP award. But according to Antetokounmpo, he hasn’t even hit his prime yet.
During an interview with ESPN, the 24-year-old admits that there’s “a lot of things [he] can improve on” as his career continues.
“First of all, [I have to] look at myself before I look at anybody else. Try to self-improve as much as possible. There are a lot of things that I got to work on in my game,” Antetokounmpo said. Despite averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals a game during the season, Antetokounmpo was unable to push the Bucks past Kawhi Leonard’s Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. That loss hasn’t left his mind.
“A lot of people say, ‘You are the MVP, you are one of the best players in the league, you are so dominant,” he said. “But I think I can get better. I think I am at 60 percent of my potential, as good as I can be. I just want to be better. If I am in the same situation again [in the conference finals], react better, play the game better, play better, execute better.”
One place he can definitely improve on is his long range. Although he averaged well over 57 percent from the field, he shot just 25.6 percent from three.
Even if Giannis’ skills don’t improve, he’ll still be a highly sought after superstar once he enters free agency next summer. With franchise players like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George in the position to adjust their contracts, courting Antetkounmpo will probably be one of their main priorities. He still might not be convinced. Antetkounmpo has expressed his desire to stay in Milwaukee on several occasions, and with key players like Kris Middleton and Brook Lopez returning, the Bucks have placed themselves in the position to make another deep playoff run.
