Milwaukee Bucks shot-caller Doc Rivers has coached his fair share of superstars throughout what has been an illustrious 24-year career. Just last season, he had the privilege of coaching Joel Embiid during Rivers’ three-year stint with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Now that he’s with the Bucks, Coach Doc gets to work alongside two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. In a recent interview, Rivers was asked to compare Giannis to Embiid in terms of what these two superstars bring to the table. The new Bucks provided an honest response.
Milwaukee Bucks Coach Speaks Out on Giannis-Embiid Comps
It comes as no surprise that one of the things Rivers has put a lot of attention into early on is the two-man game between Giannis and Damian Lillard. Coach Doc was asked if he felt there were any similarities between his new superstar duo compared to the partnership of Embiid and James Harden in Philly. He had this to say:
“It’s different because of Giannis’ skill set and Joel’s skillset, but it’s been effective,” Rivers said of Lillard and Antetokounmpo, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journel Sentinel. “But it should be like, dominant, in my opinion. We did a lot of two-man work (Monday morning). I think the whole team pretty much got what we did after 20 minutes of doing the same thing, or 10 minutes of. It’s important. The three-man game, too, with Khris (Middleton) in there too. I think that’s important as well.”
Unfortunately, the fans did not get the answer they were looking for in terms of a straight-up comparison between Antetokounmpo and Embiid. Then again, Rivers will have many more interviews moving forward and surely, he will be faced with this question again.
For now, however, what is clear is that Coach Doc is focused on bringing out the best in the Antetokounmpo and Lillard partnership in Milwaukee — just like he did with the Sixers. Let’s not forget that under his watch last season, Embiid bagged his first-ever MVP title while Harden ended up leading the entire NBA in assists.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.
