Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 28.5 points in his first season with the new team. The Miami Heat are now on a four-game winning streak, and the Greek Freak has dropped 30+ points in the last three. Yet criticism around his shooting exists. A few days ago it was Kings HC who took a shot, and now the former Cavaliers champion also mocked the two-time MVP.
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But his longtime trainer and NBA skills coach Drew Hanlen set the record straight. His response came when Gil’s Arena uploaded a video of not being impressed by the Heat star’s scoring streak from midrange.
“I think every summer he work on a jump shot. Every summer we’ve seen him come back. He hasn’t been making…” said Iman Shumpert in the 20-second clip. Hanlen responded by questioning Shumpert’s shot-making ability and comparing it with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s recent success.
“Let’s check the facts: @Giannis_An34 is currently shooting 58.3% from the field & 53.7% from mid-range,” he wrote on X. “Iman Shumpert shot 39.1% from the field during his NBA career. He never shot over 42% in a season from the field.”
While Hanlen only responded to the Cavaliers’ champion, even Gilbert Arenas took a shot at Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“That ain’t the confidence I want. Everybody can shoot that s—. I want a shot maker. If Dyson Daniels come down and shoot 10 threes and went 0-10, I don’t want that kind of confidence.”
While Giannis Antetokounmpo has shown significant improvement in his mid-range shooting in 2026-27, not only becoming more efficient but also increasing his willingness to take shots from these areas. However, Kings head coach Doug Christie was less than impressed.
“You know, even the shot profile was Giannis shooting a mid-range, contested shot. We’re living with that. Tonight, he knocked them down. I’ll watch him next game, and he probably won’t.”
However, the Greek Freak has continued to impress, despite Christie’s sharp jabs. Compared to last season, his shooting percentage from 3–10 feet has jumped from 42.7% to 65.2%, while his attempts have increased from 96 to 69, despite the smaller sample. More notably, from 10–16 feet, he has improved from 28.9% to 50.0%, and from 16 feet to the three-point line, his accuracy has surged from 25.9% to 57.1%.
His increased shot volume from these mid-range areas, particularly the 16-foot range, suggests a growing confidence in his perimeter game, making him a more versatile and less predictable offensive threat. That’s why the Heat head coach previously highlighted the work ethic Giannis Antetokounmpo has put in.
“He’s been working on that, but he always has. I mean, he has a tremendous work ethic. He’s really been working on his posture and getting his balance and timing right. We see him work on it all the time.
“He’s a very good shooter. When you see him in practice sessions, we tell him all the time, trust the work, and when they’re building that much of a wall and backing way off, those are just kind of rhythm, easy jump shots. When he steps in it with good posture, those are good looks for him.”
The increased efficiency has powered the Heat to a 7-6 record after starting the season with four losses in a row.