I did a data analysis across multiple leagues here, trying to put stats in a global context: https://andthenthehex.wordpress.com/2017/01/26/global-leaders-in-key-passes-and-shots/ All this is from 2016 for MLS/Brazil and 2016/17 for the rest of the leagues. Giovinco stood out for his shot volume, tops among the 8 leagues I looked at: And Valeri stood out for his all-around play. He's one of a handful of players who were Top 10 in Key Passes and Top 10 in Shots in their respective leagues. Obviously the level of competition varies across each of these leagues, but to be so prolific (Giovinco) and well-rounded (Valeri) is notable.
Based on the graph, Giovinco seems to take a larger percentage of shots from outside the box than the high-volume shooters in other leagues. That really confirms what we see visually in MLS -- he shoots at every half-chance.
I think a few different things are at play with Giovinco: 1) He tends to drop back a little deeper to receive the ball than other high-volume shooters , so has more opportunities to shoot from outside the box. 2) No one else on Toronto is close in number of shots. I think he had 100+ more total shots than Altidore. If this is cause or effect would require further analysis. 3) The range for these guys is all over the place. Villa had 65% of his shots in the box, Dwyer 71%, and both Kei and Ola Kamara were around 85% while in Columbus (something about that attack, huh?) On the other end, Rivas (37%) and Gashi (31%) were similar to Giovinco.
Pretty rare for a Rapids attacker to see a ball in the box save for a corner or a breakaway. That is, unless he's watching a pass sent well past him.