Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo offered some candid comments about why he feels he has to move on from the organization.
Antetokounmpo made clear that he does not want to leave Milwaukee, and would prefer to spend his entire career there. However, he characterized the Bucks as an organization that is simply fighting just to make the playoffs, which is not enough for him.
“I want to be here, but I want to be here to win, not fighting for my life to make the playoffs,” Antetokounmpo told Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “I’m not used to inconsistent basketball. I’ve played so many years of consistent basketball, I am not used to it anymore. During the game, I don’t know if you can see my face, (but) I get frustrated during the game, while the game is going on.
“I know there’s gonna be times you’re gonna lose; you’re not gonna win all the games. … But at the end of the day, it’s like how we carry ourselves. I see other teams, how they are and how they play, how connected the chemistry they have and how people are doing the right thing and they’re riding for one another. I just want that. I want that for my team.”
The Bucks have simply failed to surround Antetokounmpo with high-end talent and a supporting cast that can win another championship. To be clear, they tried, between the Damian Lillard trade and the addition of Myles Turner. Neither of those moves had their desired effect.
As it stands, the Bucks are barely even fighting for that playoff spot. Entering play Wednesday, they are 19-29, good for 12th in the East. With Antetokounmpo likely sidelined for another month, there is no reason to anticipate things will get any better, whether the Bucks trade their superstar or not.
There are others who have theories about where the Bucks went wrong. At some point, however, they lost their way, and it appears likely to cost them their franchise player.
