The Milwaukee Bucks are now 1-4 in the NBA regular season after a tough 122-99 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Even as the team struggles to find its rhythm, Giannis Antetokounmpo remains positive and confident in his teammates, emphasizing they’re on the right path despite the poor results.
“Losing, it’s frustrating,” Antetokounmpo said. “But we are doing the right things. Like (Wednesday) night we arrived in Memphis and we came together as a team, watched film. Not as eight, nine guys that play. We watched film, we talk about, like what can we do better? What we’re not doing as good, let’s keep one another accountable. We’re doing the right thing.”
“Coming (Thursday) in shootaround and talking about it, talking about our offense, talking about our defense,” he continued. “Everybody is doing the right thing. I see it in everybody’s eyes. They’re willing to do the right thing to win games and sometimes it’s not going to go your way.”
“This is part of the season; it’s not going our way. But, losing two, losing three, losing four, losing five, losing six in a row; losing one, it’s always frustrating. But, again, my dad used to say, ‘Why do (you) whine if you’re not going to give up?’ So I’m not going to give up,” Giannis added.
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks in action against the Brooklyn Nets. Luke Hales/Getty Images
Bucks HC takes accountability
Following the loss to the Grizzlies, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers addressed the team’s biggest challenges and took responsibility for the recent slump.
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“The defensive transition was still awful tonight,” Rivers said. “And so that’s on me. Everything is on me until we get it right. We gotta fix this.”
Giannis acknowledges trade possibility
In an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Antetokounmpo openly recognized the potential for a trade if the season doesn’t go as planned.
“Do you have it in the back of your mind, like, ‘(What) if this year doesn’t go well?’ Yeah, if we don’t win a championship, I might get traded. Yeah, this is the job we live. This is the world we’re living in. It’s everybody,” Giannis said.
