Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a dissatisfied observer of the Bucks' sluggish play since he was sidelined with a calf strain earlier this month. Initial reports suggested the superstar might be able to return in two to four weeks but that timeline has been pushed back to the four-to-six week range.

The Antetokounmpo-less Bucks suffered another defeat on Thursday night at the hands of the Toronto Raptors and now sit at 11–17 on the season. It was another lackluster shooting night for Milwaukee as they converted 45% of their attempts.

“Our shot selection has got to be better,” he said. “We can’t come down 17, 18 seconds on the clock and shoot a tough or contested two. There’s going to be some guys on the team that will do that, and I’m not going to name. But not everybody has the green light to do that.”

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Milwaukee, as a whole, is actually a very good shooting team. They lead the NBA in three-point percentage and are fourth in total attempts. So that 11–17 record could be a lot worse.

Antetokounmpo’s comments suggest that the margin of error is extremely thin. With him out of the lineup, there’s pressure for everyone else to step up and i’’s only natural that some players would get over-aggressive in that situation.

Having one of the NBA’s all-time greats deliver such a message seems like a great way for those who are guilty of poor shot selection to get the point and quickly adapt. Staying afloat without Antetokounmpo will be paramount if Milwaukee hopes to turn things around and make a playoff run.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Giannis Antetokounmpo Has Harsh Critique of Bucks’ Shot Selection Amid Bad Start.

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