Giannis Antetokounmpo gives his honest assessment of the Bucks roster.
For the first time since 2015-16, the Milwaukee Bucks failed to make the playoffs.
The team finished with a 32-50 record, failing to find consistency throughout the year and battling a variety of injuries, most notably to superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Giannis played in a career low 36 games and saw his averages drop to numbers they haven't been at in a decade.
With Giannis being limited all season, the Bucks turned to young players like Kevin Porter Jr, Ryan Rollins, Pete Nance, and Ousmane Dieng to carry the load for portions of the season. The group had veterans like Bobby Portis, Kyle Kuzma, and Myles Turner around, but the mix never fully gelled without the superstar.
Giannis Weighs In
Speaking to the New York Times, Giannis was asked how far he felt the team was from contending.
"We were very bad. We are the furthest away that we’ve been in the last couple of years," he said.
32 wins is the lowest the Bucks have had since Giannis's rookie season when they won 15 games.
"This is what we have in front of us. I didn’t think we were going to be in this position last year, so I don’t know what position we’re going to be next year. If everything goes well, hopefully, if the Bucks want me here, why not? But if they don’t, OK," said Giannis.
Not only was Giannis unable to stay healthy, but there were a number of off the court hurdles that likely weighed heavily on him this season. Trade rumors date back to last offseason when the New York Knicks reportedly made an offer for him. The rumors persisted throughout the regular season, but no deal got made.
He and the front office have been on different pages since the trade deadline, with Giannis wanting to play, and management reportedly keeping him out of games due to his injury.
A Different Roster
The Bucks were in a tough spot in the offseason when they decided to waive and stretch Damian Lillard.
It freed up some money, and allowed them to sign Myles Turner, but the injury to Lillard hurt the future of the franchise and their overall roster construction.
The emergence of Ryan Rollins and the acquisition of Ousmane Dieng give the Bucks a couple of building blocks going into next season. They'll also have a new head coach after Doc Rivers stepped down from his position. A new coach might be able to revitalize the roster after Rivers' message reportedly wore thin as the season went on.