Giannis sends a stunned message to teammates after loss vs. the Memphis Grizzlies.
After a brutal loss to the 13th-seeded Grizzlies last night, Giannis Antetokounmpo sent a message directly to his team in the face of ongoing adversity. Giannis, who finished the game with 35 points, challenged his teammates to increase the intensity and stop coming up with excuses to explain their struggles.
“There’s so many things that we have to do in order for us to be better,” Antetokounmpo said, per The Athletic.
“And it starts with, we have to want it. We have to want it. We have to want it. Like, what can I — what else should I say? Do we want it? Do we really want to win? Do we want to win?”
Antetokounmpo had himself a game against the Grizzlies, scoring 35 points on 15-for-17 shooting. He also dished out 12 assists. Still, it wasn’t enough.
“We have to want it, man,” Antetokounmpo said.
“Like enough with the talking. Enough with the, ‘our s— don’t-stink’ mentality. Do we really want it? Are we putting in the work? Are we going to put in the effort? That is the most important thing.
“Guys are tired, that’s an excuse. New coach, excuse. New system, excuse. New defense, excuse. All of it, it’s excuse. At the end of the day, you’re going to go out there and try to play basketball, try to compete and they competed harder than us today.”
Even amid a storm of controversy this season, the Bucks are still 3rd in the East with a 35-21 record overall. They are just 2.5 games out from the 2nd seed and have one of the best home records in the league at 23-7. Despite the winning, however, the Bucks have made their flaws all too known this season and a particularly brutal stretch of play under new coach Doc Rivers has raised the concern level in a major way.
With a championship-caliber coach in the locker room, two superstars, and a seasoned supporting group, the Bucks are done making excuses for their lack of success. Despite all of their modifications, if they are unable to complete it. It will be regarded as the greatest setback of the Giannis era thus far. It’s obvious that the two-time MVP is making every effort to prevent that from happening, but it’s still unclear if the Bucks will be able to find a long-term fix.