With some of the Milwaukee Bucks having met with local media Thursday afternoon, let’s look at some of the biggest takeaways and quotes.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ 2020-21 season has officially kicked off with the team holding their Media Week.
Now this season’s Media Day/Week coverage is undoubtedly different from how it’s normally been covered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. That certainly applies to how their training camp is set up as the full squad will start being brought into the fold on Sunday, provided there are no positive COVID-19 cases.
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Still, the excitement that still comes about when Media Day rolls around unofficially kicks off the Bucks’ run for the coming season and we all get reacquainted with friendly faces and meet the new additions after a busy offseason.
With all of that, some recurring themes obviously surfaced as the likes of Mike Budenholzer, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Torrey Craig and D.J Augustin all met with the media Thursday afternoon.
So without further ado, let’s dive into some of the bigger takeaways and themes that drew from the Bucks’ Media Day from Thursday.
The Milwaukee Bucks feel the weight of expectations
After flaming out the playoffs in each of the last two years, the Bucks know they have fallen short of the ultimate goal of vying for an NBA championship.
The fact that they took a significant step back last season as they fell to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals showed how far they still have to go. Now with the urgency to win at the highest level, Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton knows they have a job to accomplish when it comes to playing up to their abilities when the playoffs roll around.
Does Khris Middleton feel pressure to win now?
— Scott Grodsky (@ScottGrodsky) December 3, 2020
“Definitely. There’s always a sense of urgency to win...we got to take advantage of this time while we can.” pic.twitter.com/V1GABo901Y
When giving his thoughts on their playoff disappointments, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer pointed out that the Bucks ran into terrible matchups, but stressed the need to become more versatile in that regard.
https://twitter.com/tmjgarcia/status/1334580223468302339
Given Budenholzer’s track record in the postseason, that last point may be the most important takeaway that Bucks fans will hold him to going into this year. And with expectations and the pressure higher than ever to win at all costs, nothing can be held back in the Bucks’ pursuit of an NBA title.
Hearing from some of the new Milwaukee Bucks players
Part of the thrill of Media Week is being able to hear from some of the new Bucks players and there are no shortage of additions in that regard after this offseason.
Obviously hearing from Jrue Holiday in what was his first media appearance as a Buck after being traded to Milwaukee last month sparked plenty of excitement and Holiday returned that sentiment when asked about what playing for the Bucks could mean by CBS 58’s Scott Grodsky.
Jrue Holiday on his excitement to play with Giannis and Khris Middleton:
— Scott Grodsky (@ScottGrodsky) December 3, 2020
“I want the chance to put a ring on my finger and you can see in their eyes they do too.”
And as far as the pressure facing the Bucks this year, Holiday welcomed it as they look to win a title this season.
Jrue Holiday on handling the pressure of being seen as the missing piece for Milwaukee:
— Kane Pitman (@KanePitman) December 3, 2020
"If you can't handle pressure you probably shouldn't be in this line of work to be honest with you"
Meanwhile, new Bucks wing Torrey Craig wants to help his new team adopt a hungry underdog-like mentality after they stumbled in each of their last two playoff runs. Given his defensive pedigree, we shouldn’t have expected anything else.
Says the Bucks need to adopt an underdog mentality similar to what his Nuggets teams had
— Justin García 🎙 (@tmjgarcia) December 3, 2020
In his first media appearance as a Bucks player, D.J. Augustin discussed playing with a team that is as talented as this Bucks roster is and how it may be the most talented team he’s played with in his 12-year NBA career.
DJ Augustin on the #Bucks talented roster:
— Scott Grodsky (@ScottGrodsky) December 3, 2020
"It's gonna be great playing with Giannis. All these guys I'm excited to play with. Everyone has such unique talent. This is the first time I've been on a team with so many guys that can do so many things."
As the likes of Augustin, Craig and Holiday settle into Milwaukee, each veteran will look to put their imprint on their new surroundings. Hopefully with that comes the success that the Bucks aspire to achieve this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s supermax decision looms over Milwaukee Bucks
Of course, the most important player from the Bucks wasn’t heard from Thursday, that being Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Whether we will ultimately hear from Antetokounmpo before the start of training camp remains to be seen, but it would be understandable given that we still have no word on his decision with what he’ll do with his five-year supermax extension.
While the spotlight remains firmly on Antetokounmpo at such a critical point in his career, the suspense around his decision has certainly affected his teammates and the organization as a whole.
Antetokounmpo’ long-running teammate, Khris Middleton, divulged that he has talked with the two-time MVP about his future and how their bond has transformed over the last eight years.
Khris Middleton on Giannis contract decision:
— Kane Pitman (@KanePitman) December 3, 2020
"My situation last year [Giannis] told me how he felt and that's all I can do in return. I think we are more than friends at this point, we spent eight years together, we've been through a lot together"
As the time continues to tick on down until the last day before the 2020-21 season starts, the deadline for when Antetokounmpo has to make his supermax decision by, his teammates and coaches will continue to wait along on the news just as we are. But it certainly creates an uneasy feeling going into the start of training camp.
The Bucks’ Media Week will continue on into Friday and we’ll just have to see who will be made available ahead of time.