With some Milwaukee Bucks role players meeting with the media Friday afternoon, we round up some of the bigger takeaways from the second day of Media Week.
As they’re on the eve of opening up their training camp in full, the Milwaukee Bucks are ready to kick off what could be a magical 2020-21 season.
The Bucks kicked off their Media Week on Thursday afternoon and there was no shortage of things to take away from the various media availabilities, especially in meeting the likes of D.J. Augustin, Torrey Craig and Jrue Holiday.
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Friday morning and afternoon brought forth Donte DiVincenzo, Sam Merrill and Bobby Portis meeting with the media, with the latter two making their first appearances with Milwaukee media.
Thankfully, the Bucks have uploaded the full press conferences of DiVincenzo, Merrill and Portis, all of which you can watch here.
So without further ado, let’s dive into what the likes of DiVincenzo, Merrill and Portis all discussed during the second day of the Milwaukee Bucks’ Media Week.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ winning culture attracted Bobby Portis in free agency
After five NBA seasons and three stops in the span of two years, Bobby Portis comes to Milwaukee with something to prove. That something is playing for a winning organization like the Bucks have been over the last couple of seasons, all of which attracted Portis going into free agency:
"“I just wanted to be a part of winning. I’m going into my sixth year in the NBA now and I’ve been on a couple of winning teams, but it’s been up and down the whole time. Having the opportunity being on a winning team and a winning culture was big for me.”"
When asked about his preference of playing at the 4 or 5-spot, Portis made it clear that he will doing anything that will be asked of him by head coach Mike Budenholzer:
"“I don’t have a preference at all. I’m a guy that goes out there and does what coach wants me to do. I’ve never been a ‘me’ guy, always been a ‘we’ guy.”"
Sam Merrill’s looking for his opportunity with the Milwaukee Bucks
While he ended up as the final pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Sam Merrill is hungry for his chance to make it in Milwaukee.
Merrill started off his availability by recounting his own draft night last month, which was not only highlighted by being drafted, but getting a text from the two-time MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo:
"“It was pretty special. I was really excited going into the process. Going into draft night, I obviously had no idea exactly what was going to happen, but I felt pretty confident in the interest the Bucks had in me. When they acquired that second pick in the second round, I thought there was hopefully going to to be a good opportunity there and that’s what ended up happening. I was really excited, just because the Bucks are a very good team and it’s a really good opportunity for me to hopefully have a chance to compete for some playing time and also be in a very good system and a good organization. I got texts from Giannis and Khris the next day and that was really cool. That’s where it hit me that I was getting this opportunity and that was exciting.”"
When asked about whether his life experiences, maturity and age can be positive assets when navigating his way into the NBA, Merrill concurred as he spoke of his desire to earn an opportunity with the Bucks:
"“Definitely and that’s something that I tried to portray to teams during the pre-draft process. I know I’m older, so there are question marks with drafting an older guy, I get that. But with my life experiences, going on an LDS mission, playing four years at Utah State, playing under two different coaching staffs, I do feel ready. There are certain parts of the NBA that no one is ready for and I understand that. With everything going so quick and the necessity to be able to adjust quickly and learn on the fly, I feel like that will be stuff that I will be able to do. With my experience and my maturity, I can hopefully be in a position where I can contribute right away.”"
Donte DiVincenzo doesn’t lack motivation going into third season with Milwaukee Bucks
It was only a few weeks ago where it had appeared as though Donte DiVincenzo’s time with the Bucks had come to an end.
After all, DiVincenzo was included in the framework for the proposed sign-and-trade deal with the Sacramento Kings that would have netted the Bucks Bogdan Bogdanovic. Of course, we all know how that saga ended and as a result, DiVincenzo stays put in Milwaukee.
Whether it ends up being a blessing in disguise for both DiVincenzo or the Bucks remains to be seen, but the 23-year-old has harbored no ill will in the fallout of the ordeal:
"“Nothing changes. Conversations I’ve had with coaches, the front office, strength and conditioning coaches, my trust is still there. Nothing changes. They want the best for me. They want me to get better, I want to get better. So nothing has changed there.”"
DiVincenzo certainly made considerable strides over his sophomore season, but hit quite the wall once last season resumed down in the bubble. He ultimately wasn’t alone in that, considering the outcome of the Bucks’ season in general, but it has certainly lit a fire under DiVincenzo going into his third NBA season:
"“There are no excuses. I was hitting my stride towards the latter half of the season and no matter what it was, the offseason or the bubble, there are no excuses. I got to be better, especially when we’re trying to make a run at a title. So I took that and had been working out with a chip on my shoulder just to get better. And then coming into this year, just mentally being able to handle ups and downs. It’s going to be an interesting season, so being able to stay level-headed, mentally focused and just keep getting better everyday, that’s my main goal.”"
Lastly, DiVincenzo has a ripe opportunity to potentially step up in the void in the Bucks’ starting lineup left behind by Wesley Matthews. But as he told reporters Friday, the Villanova product views being productive over what kind of role he’ll have as what’s more important going into the season:
"“I view this year just like how I did last year. Whether I’m the starting 2-guard, coming off the bench, it doesn’t matter. I have to be productive in my minutes and be productive with whoever I’m on the court with. My job, I’ve said it since day one, is making it easier for Khris and Giannis. And posibly with a bigger role, just being able to step in there and be confident. I don’t think it’s something to be nervous for. I don’t think you should be in this line of work if you should be nervous about getting a bigger role. I think you should come in, embrace that and be able to prove that to everybody.”"
Clearly, plenty of fascinating insights from that trio of Bucks players and we’ll just have to see what other interesting details are gathered in the coming days and weeks as the team prepares for training camp and the start of the coming year as a whole.