According to Giannis Antetokounmpo the Milwaukee Bucks did not have any pride in them on Saturday night as they suffered a disappointing 112-108 loss to the Houston Rockets. The Bucks talisman was quick to criticize his team’s defensive effort on the evening against a Rockets side that’s barely over the .500 mark at this point in the season.
Despite his harsh assessment, however, Giannis isn’t pointing fingers. If anything, he’s taking the blame for his team’s third loss in four games.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Takes Responsibility
Giannis did not hold back in calling out his team’s overall effort — or rather, the lack thereof — against Houston. However, the former back-to-back MVP has looked at himself in the mirror first before anything or anyone else.
“Pride. Pride. Pride. Pride. We gotta take it personal,” Antetokounmpo said, when asked how the Bucks can get better defensively this season. “Like, we have to take it personal. Whoever wants to play hard, plays hard. Whoever doesn’t want to play hard, it’s gotta be a decision that’s gotta be made. Even myself, too. If I don’t play hard, sit me out, sit me on the bench. There’s times I’m tired and I don’t play as hard as I can, and there’s times even when I give everything I have. But we have to have a mentality of whenever we step on the floor, we have to get stops.
“That’s how we’re going to win. We’re not going to win by getting a rhythm offensively. Obviously, they were a tough team because they switch everything and you have to play one-on-one in order for you to break down their defense. But we cannot rely on that. We have to rely on getting stops. Guys have to play with more effort, including me. It starts with me always. Always… Including me. I have to be able, every time we step on the floor, to figure out the ways to get stops. Play harder. That’s it.”
Being the type of leader that he is, Giannis knows that he has to be the one who sets the tone for his squad. Antetokounmpo is the type who leads by example, and even he knows that he was not able to live up to his own standards against the Rockets.
“We cannot die on screens. We die on screens, including myself,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m not trying to throw anybody under the bus. That’s why I keep saying including myself. Always. It starts from me. I’m the leader of the team. It always starts with me. I have to be better, but we cannot die on screens. What, because Bobby (Portis) and Brook (Lopez) are back there, what does that mean? That we are going to— we are just going to die on screens and let the guy go downhill and shoot a floater because Brook is going to save our butts? That’s how we’re going to win a championship? No, that’s not how we’re going to win a championship.”
The silver lining for the Bucks here is that there’s still a long way to go this season. There’s a lot of time to work on any and all shortcomings they currently have as they keep their eyes firmly fixed on the big prize.
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