Giannis Antetokounmpo gets brutally honest on the Bucks' struggles with Doc Rivers

Despite their winning record, the Milwaukee Bucks have been through a lot this season. Embarrassing losses, blowouts, and a lack of defensive commitment have set this team back multiple times.

The Damian Lillard trade hasn’t looked all that well thus far. He hasn’t been at his best scoring-wise, and he’s never been much of a defender. Also, the team as a whole has underperformed against winning teams.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has also been quite vocal about the team’s struggles to find consistency. During the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, he talked about how hard it’s been to play for multiple coaches in such little time.

Giannis Vents His Frustrations

“It’s hard. It’s hard,” Giannis admitted. “This is my fourth coach in the span of six months — Different philosophy, different game plan. It’s hard. It’s draining. I’m a student of the game. When somebody asks me to do something, I try to do it to the best of my ability. I try to understand what we’re trying to accomplish, both so I can understand and so I can be there for my teammates when they ask questions.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks

Even so, the former Defensive Player of the Year is excited about getting to work with Doc Rivers, stating that he brings a championship pedigree to his team with all his experience:

“But yeah, I love working with Coach Doc,” Giannis said. “He’s been very, very successful. We can talk all day about things he’s accomplished around the league. He’s won, I think, 1,100 NBA games. Some people have never played 1,100 games. He brings that level of — how can I say — a championship level to the team. He won. He’s coached a lot of successful teams in the past. When you have that guy in your bench, you have to bring your A-game.”

see also

Gilbert Arenas explains why Doc Rivers will fail with the Milwaukee Bucks

Rivers hasn’t found much success lately, and he might not be the Xs and Os guy this team needs to get the monkey off their backs. Still, they’re talented enough to turn things around and make a strong push late in the season.