Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has poured in an immense amount of hard work and sacrifice to be where he is today. In fact, you wouldn’t be wrong in saying that in terms of work ethic, the former back-to-back MVP has to be up there with the very best of them.
However, even Giannis himself admits that new head coach Doc Rivers has demanded a lot from the Bucks upon his arrival. So much so, that the team’s intense practice sessions appear to be taking their toll on the players.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Gets Real on Doc Rivers’ Practices
It’s not as if Giannis is complaining, though. In fact, the players on the squad have been all-in as they all see the necessity of Rivers’ extended practice sessions and shootarounds. The clock is ticking on Coach Doc and he has to do as much as he can to improve this squad in as little time as possible.
Antetokounmpo, however, could not help but admit that their work behind the scenes has been exhausting:
“I definitely agree,” Antetokounmpo said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “I feel like, from practice, because we’re adding stuff and everybody’s excited and everybody sees what we’re trying to accomplish here and, they’re excited for the things that we can do as a team and how better we can get.
“And like in practice, people are going faster and running up and down. And obviously, you know, having a new coaching staff you gotta kind of show what you’re made of and what you can do. In shootarounds, guys are more aggressive, shoot more, cut more, play harder. We have a longer shootaround because we’re adding stuff, and then you go to the game and you’re kind of a little bit gassed, I’m not going to lie.”
This was evident on Sunday night when the Bucks fell short against the Utah Jazz. Milwaukee had pretty much nothing left in the fourth quarter on the second night of a back-to-back set, and this resulted in Utah outscoring them 40-13 in the final frame.
Giannis knows that this is all part of the process, though:
“But, at the end of the day, you find that happy balance,” he continued. “Right now, it doesn’t matter and I hope everybody in this locker room feels the same way that I feel. It does not matter. There’s so many things that we’re doing right now that we are getting better. And the moment everything clicks and our legs are there and our minds are there and guys are healthy and everybody is locked in, I think it’s going to go very well. I really do believe.”
Ultimately, the Bucks have one goal in mind, and that’s bringing home the Larr O’Brien trophy at the end of this season. It is clear that Giannis and Co. are willing to do whatever it takes to reach this lofty objective.
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