Elite players are the best in the NBA for a reason. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the Milwaukee Bucks' two time MVP. He is one of the best two-way players in all of basketball. Luka Doncic, a Dallas Mavericks superstar, is just 22 years old and one of the most dangerous players anywhere.
Even the best can still be better.
Imagine Giannis could jump! What would be the Bucks' star if he could score consistently beyond the paint?
What if Russell Westbrook tried a floater instead? The Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook could add another shot to his declining dunk frequency.
What if Luka's already impressive offense was complemented by reliable free throw shooting. The young star would be an MVP already?
Can Karl-Anthony Towns improve on his defense and become a top two-way player for Minnesota Timberwolves? While his offensive prowess is on par with Antetokounmpo's and Philadelphia 76ers' big man Joel Embiid's, Towns's play on the other end of the ball has kept them out of MVP discussions.
Our experts reveal the skills that these four stars lack and how they could be improved.
Giannis Antetokounmpo demonstrates a jump shot Watch out for him outside. AP Photo/Morry gash
Giannis Antetokounmpo - Finding his jumper
Antetokounmpo has been crowned NBA Finals MVP and is undoubtedly the most dominant player in the game right now. Antetokounmpo was a remarkable two-way virtuoso player who led the Bucks to their title. He made huge plays on both ends. He was the king of the paint. He was the leader in rebounding, scoring and blocks among Finals players.
He didn't score at the hoop.
Shooting is the missing piece of the bag. Antetokounmpo only made 19% of his 3s in Milwaukee's historic playoff run and 59% of his free throws. Antetokounmpo will be one of the best players in the league if he can improve his ability to convert shots from this distance. It's as simple as that. His interior is the dominant force in pro basketball, but he will have a prime if he can improve his shooting skills.
He is 26 years old and has already scored a 50 point masterpiece to win the Finals. He showed how great he could be as a free throw shooter. He made 17 of his 19 free throws. The Phoenix Suns, on the other hand, made 16 of 19. Antetokounmpo is one of the most physically active players in the game. A reliable free throw could allow him to make contact and score easy points at the stripe, which could help him get the opposing bigs in foul trouble.
A shaky throw can also hurt his productivity and make him a liability during big moments. In the 2019 playoffs against Toronto Raptors, his struggles at the line were costly. He also missed just eight of the 14 freebies he received in Game 7, which was played against the Brooklyn Nets. It came down to Kevin Durant's feet.
While shooting will be the most important skill of the game in 2021, Antetokounmpo's title run shows that other skills, such as being able to control the paint at both ends, are just as important. Antetokounmpo's ability to score above the paint is a plus, but it's not enough.
Kirk Goldsberry
The NBA has made the floater a deadly weapon. Russell Westbrook should add the floater to his arsenal. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Russell Westbrook: Accepting the floater
It was March 2011, the third year of Westbrook's professional career. He was just making his first All Star team and was quickly rising to the top as one of the league’s brightest and most bold stars. His combination of force, fury and tenacity was propelling him to heights that no one could have predicted when he was selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
As a rookie, he led the league's turnovers and finished second to Steve Nash in the category. He was expected to continue his lead in his third season. Many of these turnovers occurred in the same manner: Westbrook was driving down the lane, jumping at an absurd distance from basket, and then barreling over a defender to take a charge. It seemed that an adjustment might be beneficial to counter the defenders anticipating Westbrook's high-flying attacks on the rim.
A reporter suggested that Westbrook could benefit from a floater. He could easily live between the free throw line and the restricted area due to his skills and ability torching defenders at point of attack. It was either a pull-up jumper, or all the way to the rim.
Westbrook took in the question and considered his answer.
He said, "That's not what I focus on." "Why would you shoot a floater when you can dunk on me?"
Scott Brooks, then-Oklahoma City Thunder manager, was also asked about it. His answers were honest and straight to the point.
"Have your seen his floater?" Brooks laughed. Brooks laughed. It's not pretty.
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The modern NBA has made the floater a powerful weapon, with many NBA stars using it regularly, including Trae Young and Luka Doncic, Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving. The floater is a tool that can be used to target sagging drop coverage schemes, as defenses attempt to push shooters towards low-efficiency, nonpaint 2-pointers.
As obstinate as his initial answer was, Westbrook admitted that he had tried a floater once or twice, but he never committed fully. His mentality has largely remained the same: Why compromise on a floater when you can take two more steps and reach the rim?
This was evident in Rudy Gobert's last two postseason games with the Thunder. He dropped deep into the basket, forcing midrange jumpers. The Portland Trail Blazers, the next season, literally shouted, "Let him shoot!" When Westbrook was able to get the ball at his elbows. Contrast this with the Utah Jazz's next series against Houston Rockets. Harden made Gobert a pretzel almost every possession and alternated between floaters to Clint Capela and lobs as the Rockets won five games.
Westbrook's dunk numbers have been dropping as he gets older. In 2015-16, he dunk 69 times, 49 in 2016-17 and 57 in 2017-18. He dunked 33 times in 2018-19. Last season, it was only 24. He's still an excellent space player, capable of destroying any defender in a flash. He could tap into a floating option and commit to it in a way that he has always avoided. This could help him age gracefully and more efficiently.
-- Royce Young
Luka Doncic's offensive game already ranks at the MVP level. Imagine if he could score a few more points at stripe. David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images
Luka Doncic: There is one flaw in the free throw line
Doncic, who is 22 years old, has accumulated a remarkable array of skills that have allowed him to be a Mavericks point guard and become one of the NBA's most elite offensive players. Doncic is a natural passer, and can see the floor better than most. He makes even difficult passes seem effortless. He is a master manipulator of defenses. His gravity and guile allow him to create angles for crosscourt laser beams, late-developing lobs, or open corner 3-point shooters. His best attribute is his passing -- quite an accomplishment for a star who averaged 33.5 points per playoff game.
Doncic is a 6-foot-7, husky player with amazing handles. God Shammgod, Mavs player development coach, is amazed at how Doncic masters complex dribble combinations moves.
Doncic has become a three-level scorer, which has made him an effective player. Although he's not an exceptional jumper, Doncic is a strong finisher around the basket (66.2% within five yards last season), thanks to his combination strength and craft. Despite a slow start from the arc, Doncic can fire his step-back three almost at will. This is what helped him rank 10th in 3s made (192) last year. Doncic also revealed a highly effective midrange game, featuring a Dirk Nowitzki-like one-legged turnaround jumper, which he frequently pops after stopping on the dime and spinning.
Doncic's offensive game is flawless. He's not fouled until he is.
Doncic's greatest weakness is his inability to shoot free throws and is often caught in funks.
This is a problem for the player with the ball so often in his hands and who draws contact constantly.
This is the only area Doncic hasn't made significant progress in since joining the NBA. For his career, he is a 73.5% free-throw shooter and shot 73.0% from beyond the arc last season. This shouldn't be the case when a player has such a soft touch at the midrange. Doncic was among nine players who shot at least 48% from midrange last season on at most 175 attempts. His free throw percentage was a notable outlier in the group. Seven of the eight other players shot 85% or higher from the line, while the straggler hit 81.2%.
-- Tim MacMahon
Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the most offensive big men in the NBA. Achieving another level could be possible by improving on the other side. Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports
Karl-Anthony Towns - The other side to KAT's game
Towns averaged 25.0 points per game and 11.5 rebounds during the last three seasons. These numbers are very similar to elite big men Joel Embiid (26.4 ppg, 12.1 RPG) or Anthony Davis (26.1 ppg, 10.3 RPG). Towns, however, has not received a vote even though both Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis finished in the top 3 in MVP voting at least once. What is the reason?
One word: defense.
Embiid, Davis and others are great defensive players. They can anchor their defenses and lead them to good results. Defensive anchors are usually large men who can play strong off-ball defense and help their teammates. They also protect the paint from high-percentage shots. While on-ball defense can be a plus for a large man, its true value is usually measured in off-ball defence.
To put it mildly Towns has struggled to be an off-ball defender. This is especially true when he is trying to defend situations where he is involved with screens. Second Spectrum reports that Towns allowed 1.072 points per off-ball screen in the past two seasons. This is when his man sets the pick. This is 335th out of 446 players who have defended at most 100 screens. Towns has allowed 1.183 points per opportunity and 1.5 points per direct selection when Towns is protecting. They rank last among the 333 NBA players that have been screened off of-ball at least 100 more times.
His off-ball defensive problems are also captured in his impact upon his teams' defenses. Over the past two seasons, the Timberwolves ranked 28th- and 20th respectively in team defensive rating. Towns posted a negative defensive real plus/minus in each. Towns' offensive RPM was 5.8, which is more than the 2.5 of Nikola Jokic and Embiid's 1.81. Towns finished last among centers, with a minus-3.68 DRPM, so his net score was well below the elite bigs.
Towns could be a better off-ball defender and a better anchor. This would put him in the MVP conversation. With the talent they have in Minnesota, a defensive anchor of MVP caliber in Towns could make the difference between a young Timberwolves team and one that can legitimately challenge for playoffs.
-- Andr Snellings
