Giannis Antetokounmpo was clearly frustrated after the loss to the Miami Heat. They came into the playoffs with the best record in the league and lost to a team that needed to win two play-in games to even get in the playoffs. Throughout the series, Jimmy Butler torched the Bucks. After the series loss, Giannis was asked if he wanted to guard Butler more during the series. In his answer, he definitely questioned the coaching of Mike Budenholzer.
Giannis Antetokounmpo when asked if he wanted to guard Jimmy Butler more during Bucks-Heat series:
“Yes. Out of respect, you gotta let the coach make that adjustment. … At the end of the day, I wish I could guard him more.” pic.twitter.com/WkoftRM3uC
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 27, 2023
Giannis Antetokounmpo Questions Coaching Decisions
In true Giannis fashion, it wasn’t a complete slam of Mike Budenholzer’s coaching. He was still polite about it but definitely wished that he would have been given the assignment of shutting down Butler.
“Yes. Out of respect, you gotta let the coach make that adjustment. … At the end of the day, I wish I could guard him more.”
He respects his coaching but also wishes he could have gotten a chance to shut Butler down. Budenholzer did what he always does and just stayed the course. This can work in the regular season but not in the playoffs. Series are all about adjustments and Budenholzer failed to adjust.
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Butler Torched The Heat
After the 56-point performance from Butler, it seemed obvious that something needed to be done. Giannis is one of the premier defenders in the league. The Heat had other players step up throughout the series as well but you have to think that if Butler had to work for his points, the Bucks would’ve had a better chance. It is great that Giannis is so willing to be coached. However, in this situation, I wish he would have straight up said to Budenholzer that he was going to guard Butler.
What this likely signals is the Bucks need a new voice in the locker room. If Giannis Antetokounmpo is questioning coaching decisions, make the change. Championship windows don’t last for long and the Bucks can’t waste any more seasons of Giannis.
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