The Milwaukee Bucks have undoubtedly hit a rough patch lately.
Following a victory over the Golden State Warriors on December 13, the Bucks have gone 5-7 in their last 12 games. In that timeframe, they have lost five of those contests by 18 or more points and have struggled to look like the Bucks of old. Coach Mike Budenholzer himself even recognized his team’s struggles lately by saying, “We just haven’t matched what it takes to be competitive in an NBA game on multiple occasions now and it’s concerning.” Budenhlolzer has a point, and some fans have begun to grow very concerned about this basketball team.
Rather than voice his concern or fear regarding the team’s recent struggles, one person who took the podium and offered some words of encouragement was Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Amidst Bucks’ struggles, Giannis Antetokounmpo has displayed leadership
One day after the Milwaukee Bucks were blown off their home floor by the Charlotte Hornets, who tied an NBA record with 51 points in the first quarter, Giannis detailed why he remains calm.
"“We are going to lose some games, and we are going to win a lot of games. Even though we have not built the perfect habits, last night, we were second in the East. That’s scary to me. I believe when everybody gets acclimated and people know their role and when Joe [Ingles] is feeling good and making plays and Khris [Middleton] comes back and he’s being the bad man he is and Jrue is back and we’re playing, running, having fun, and having all of that click, I’ll go to war. I’ll go to battle any day. I’ll take my chances with those guys any day…’“I’m proud of the group we have, but we have to be better. I believe my teammates understand that, and we are going to be better.”"
Given how poorly things have gone for the Bucks lately, this is exactly what the players, coaches, and fans needed to hear.
As Antetokounmpo pointed out, the team has been incredibly banged up for most of the season and has still put themselves in a good position standings-wise. Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Joe Ingles, and more have all missed time, which has certainly hurt the team’s ability to find a groove. Due to all of the games players have missed due to injury, there is still a version of the Bucks that has yet to be seen this year when all of those players are on the court together, and that could be the very best iteration of this team. In the meantime, they must continue working to battle through those issues as they anxiously wait for everyone to get healthy.
Even with the team banged up, the Bucks cannot and will not rely on that as some sort of excuse. Even if there is a better version of the Bucks when they are healthy, the team must play the cards they have been dealt at the moment. As Antetokounmpo said, the Bucks have not been building the best habits lately, but they must start. Antetokounmpo has consistently spread the message of building good habits, and he certainly will not stop now. There haven’t been many good habits to build off in this grueling stretch from the Bucks, but hopefully Antetokounmpo can rally the troops and get them to start doing so moving forward.
In short, this is what everyone should love to hear from the leader of this locker room and team. Antetokounmpo seemed far from discouraged when discussing Milwaukee’s recent woes, as he clearly believes that better days are ahead for the Bucks. He is the engine that makes this team go, and hopefully the Greek Freak can help them put this recent stretch behind them and turn a corner sooner rather than later.
In addition to being an MVP-caliber player, Antetokounmpo remains an MVP-caliber leader.
Stay tuned to see if the ever-inspirational Antetokounmpo can help the Bucks find new life as they look to find more success in 2023.