Greek monster evolution! How strong is the upgraded Giannis? He is currently delivering the best performance of his international career.

On September 12th Beijing time, Greece will play Turkey in the EuroBasket semifinals early on the 13th, with Giannis putting forth the finest international performance of his career so far. He is averaging 29.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, his best scoring and efficiency numbers internationally. His impact goes well beyond individual excellence, as Greece has advanced smoothly and won comfortably throughout.

In the round of 16, Giannis shot 18 of 23, scoring 37 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, leading Greece to victory over Israel. Then, in the quarterfinals against Lithuania, he posted 29 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 1 block, helping Greece win 87-76, marking their first semifinal appearance since 2009. For the first time in years, his personal peak performance has translated into team success on Europe’s biggest stage. This raises a key question: why is Giannis more efficient in this tournament than ever before?

Changes in Giannis’s supporting lineup

Considering the Olympics were just last summer, it’s hard to say Giannis’s playing style suddenly changed drastically. The real difference lies in Greece’s roster and the team structure built for EuroBasket 2025.

At the Olympics, Greece heavily relied on two non-shooting guards, Thomas Walkup and Nick Calathes. Although both are excellent facilitators, having multiple ballhandlers who don’t stretch the floor created serious spacing issues.

For a player like Giannis, who attracts double or even triple teams on every possession, proper spacing is crucial. Without enough room, defenders collapse around him, clogging the paint and limiting his efficiency.

How Giannis benefits from this

This summer, Greece addressed this weakness head-on. Walkup left and was replaced by Sloukas, one of the greatest guards in European league history, a dangerous pick-and-roll creator and a reliable shooter who demands defensive attention.

Alongside him, Greece welcomed back Tyler Dorsey, also a shooter who excels both spotting up and shooting off screens. With stable floor spacers like Papanikolaou and Mitoglou, suddenly the court looks completely different for Giannis.

Whether operating in the low post, high post, or transition, threats are everywhere on the floor, turning every possession into a tough choice for defenders: either send extra help and leave shooters open or let Giannis go one-on-one, which is almost always a losing battle.

Speaking of shooting, the data shows how much the spacing has improved for him at EuroBasket 2025.

At last year’s Olympics, Greece’s team three-point shooting percentage was only 30%. Now, that number has risen to 38%, a huge improvement that completely changes how the offense is constructed.

The result is simple but powerful: Greece’s enhanced spacing maximizes Giannis’s strengths. He scores more efficiently, creates clearer shooting chances for teammates, and plays in a system that finally allows his dominance to fully translate. Equally important, this change not only boosts his stats but also increases Greece’s ability to win at the highest level.

Giannis’s growth as a playmaker

Giannis himself has also made some small but important improvements in his game.

Over recent NBA seasons, his ability to create for others has noticeably developed, especially when operating from the high post, where his decision-making has become sharper and more consistent.

With the Bucks facing injuries and a thinner supporting cast, Giannis has been forced to take on more responsibility not just as a scorer but also as a facilitator. This extra burden has expanded his vision and patience, yielding clear results:He now averages a career-high 6.5 assists per game while reducing turnovers to 3.1 per game, his lowest mark in eight years.

The evolution of Giannis’s mid-range game

Another significant improvement Giannis showed throughout last NBA season, and which has been reaffirmed in this EuroBasket, is his mid-range shooting.

In this tournament, his mid-range shooting percentage has reached 61%, which is a major step forward considering how defenses typically guard him.

Opponents often sag off to give him mid-range looks because they know how dominant he is attacking the rim. But now, with the ability to consistently punish defenses from mid-range, Giannis has become much harder to contain.

If defenders sag, he can score with jump shots; if they close out aggressively, he can use his athleticism to attack the basket. This balance provides him with another reliable scoring option.

When you combine his personal growth with the improved spacing Greece now offers, the outcome is almost inevitable.

Statistical leap from Olympics to EuroBasket

The numbers clearly show: at the 2024 Olympics, Giannis averaged 25.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists with an efficiency rating of 26.5.

Fast forward to EuroBasket 2025, all those stats have increased—more points, more rebounds, more assists, and a higher efficiency rating.

Looking at advanced stats, the contrast between last year’s Olympics and this EuroBasket is even clearer.

One of the biggest changes is the rise in Giannis’s isolation plays.

At the Olympics, only about 4% of his offensive possessions were isolation plays, but at EuroBasket, that figure nearly quadrupled to around 12%-13%.

Giannis’s growth in transition offense

However, the most critical difference is evident in the transition offense statistics.

At last year’s Olympics, only 10% of Giannis’s offensive possessions came in transition, and his efficiency was surprisingly low—just 0.57 points per possession, a poor mark for a player who usually excels in open court.

Fast forward to EuroBasket, the situation has completely changed. Now,about 15% of his offensive possessions are in transition, and he scores an impressive 1.38 points per possession.This improvement is significant and closely tied to Greece’s upgraded spacing.

With shooters around him, defenders can’t easily pack the paint, opening lanes for Giannis to push the floor. With this space, he becomes nearly unstoppable in transition.

The evolved Giannis—what kind of performance will he deliver in the new NBA season? Feel free to share your predictions of his stats in the comments below.