Don’t Have a Wingspan like Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Compensate with these Drills
Four years ago, the Milwaukee Bucks took a big gamble. They selected an unknown 18 year old kid from Greece named Giannis Antetokounmpo as the 15th overall pick in the NBA draft. That bet is now paying off as the 6’11” forward with a wingspan over 7’3” is crushing it on both offensive and defensive sides of the ball. He’s even on track to be the first All-Star selected from the Bucks since Michael Redd in 2004, and potentially their first All-Star starter since Sidney Moncrief in 1984. Through his efforts, the Bucks have moved from perennial underdogs to middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference. Let’s have a look at a few of the things Antetokounmpo does well that allows him to take advantage of his dimensions, and talk about how you can practice using the Hustle App to get better in these areas.
I mentioned that Antetokounmpo has an incredible wingspan. On offense this helps him create space between his release point and the defender, leading to a higher likelihood of a made basket. One way to create space between your shot and a defender is to work on your jump hook in the paint. Check out the Slide and Jump Hook drill in the Hustle app. Using either a cone or a friend acting as stationary defender start on one side of the block under the basket. Slide to the other side through the paint and receive a pass from your teammate as you begin moving around the defender back towards the original side of the block. Go up for the jump hook in front of the defender. Do three sets of 10 shots from both the right and left side.
Antetokounmpo’s wingspan also helps him land a higher percentage of short range turn-around jumpers, a staple of any big-man move skill set. In the Hustle App, check out the Turn Around Jump Shot drill to work on this move. With your teammate standing at the three point line towards the elbow, take passes standing on the edge of the paint about 10 ft from the basket. Keep your inside foot as your pivot, and spin to face the basket with a slight fade-away. Take 10 shots from each side, and practice spinning to both the outside and the middle for your shot.
While working on your ability to score like Giannis Antetokounmpo, don’t focus just on shooting. It’s incredibly important for any Big Man to focus on their footwork. Antetokounmpo has exceptional agility for a player of his size, and there’s no doubt that footwork drills play a big role in his practices. Try out the Agility Post drill in the Hustle App. This is an intense footwork drill that starts with ladder steps, then short hops towards the basket, then receiving the ball in the low post, leading to a decision about going toward the baseline or to the middle to score.
We can’t all have the height and wingspan of an All-Star like Giannis Antetokounmpo, but there are a number of skills to develop which aim to help compensate for that. Space between your release point and the defender leads to better outcomes, and solid footwork helps any Big Man play with the agility demonstrated by Antetokounmpo.
If you’re looking for more guidance on specific drills to improve any aspect of your game, from shooting, passing and dribbling to rebounding, defending and conditioning, try out the Hustle app — it’s free!
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