Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard get real on the Bucks' slump

The Milwaukee Bucks were expected to be one of the top-tier teams in the NBA this season. They’ve lived up to those expectations, record-wise, but they don’t look like a legitimate championship-caliber team right now.

Doc Rivers hasn’t brought the best out of the team, and they’ve now dropped their last five games. That’s not how you want to get to the playoffs, even with all the talent they have.

With that in mind, Giannis Antetokounmpo talked about how it seems like this team has lost their joy, adding that they’re just going through the motions right now.

Giannis Says The Bucks Have No Joy

“When was the last time Malik did [his trademark 3-point shimmy celebration]? When was the last time Pat hit a 3 and [celebrated]? When was the last time Jae hit a 3, went back and he swags back? When was the last time I dunked on somebody and went ‘Ahhhhhh!’” the Greek Freak told The Athletic. “It’s almost like we’re going through the motions. We gotta find our joy back.”

Damian Lillard Still Has Faith

Damian Lillard, on the other hand, isn’t as pessimistic as his co-star. He thinks that as much as they’ve struggled with consistency, they have more than enough talent to get over the hump and be a force in the playoffs:

“I mean, as crazy as it might sound, I feel good,” Lillard said. “I see Giannis, Khris (Middleton), Bobby (Portis) and Brook (Lopez) and Jae (Crowder) and Pat (Beverley), (Malik) Beas. When I look around, I just have a true belief in what we have, our experience, how long we’ve been around. And I know that sometimes it gets dark. This league is a tough league. Sometimes you have hard times. And I think that’s what it is for us. That’s why you gotta stay together; you gotta keep believing.”

There are legitimate concerns about this team, starting with Doc Rivers’ well-documented struggles in the playoffs. Then again, they do have the personnel and the experience to flick the switch and get the job done when it actually counts.