NBA
Giannis Antetokounmpo confessed this has been his ‘hardest season’ ever despite MVP run
Even though Giannis Antetokounmpo has been putting up great numbers night after night for Milwaukee, he recently confessed this campaign hasn’t been easy at all. In fact, before he led the charge for the Bucks and beat the Sixers 114-105 this Thursday, he called this his hardest season ever.
The former back-to-back MVP, who is in the race for the accolade again this competition, recently posted 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists in 37 minutes of play at the Fiserv Forum. However, he seemed somewhat beat after the contest.
These kinds of matches, where he can easily go up and score, are difficult to find these days. This time around, he faced one of the strongest teams in the Eastern Conference, but without their superstar big man Joel Embiid. Postgame he shared why this has been his toughest season so far.
Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Says 2023-24 'Has Been The Hardest Season That Iโve Played' https://t.co/reFjaC3XPY
— Hoops Wire (@WireHoops) March 14, 2024
โYeah, itโs โฆ itโs โฆ itโs hard. I feel like for me, this has been the hardest season that Iโve played โ not only physically, because I had the procedure done on my left knee in the end of June. And I had to get back to myself,โ Giannis told Sam Amick this week.
The eight-time All-Star explained why these past 10 months have been a rollercoaster ride. ย โI feel like when the season started, I wasnโt (myself). And the reason was that I hadnโt played basketball until like the second week of training. I had to get back to being by myself. But emotionally, and mentally, itโs been draining. Iโm not going to lie to you. Itโs been extremely tough,” he said.
“But at the end of the day, I think when you face adversity in life, thatโs when you excel the most,” Antetokounmpo expressed. “So Iโm just trying to, as a leader, as a basketball player, as a person, just trying to do what I do, keep on enjoying the game of basketball, keep on hanging in there, keep on trying to improve my game, doing the right thing.”
The Milwaukee team are currently second in the East with a strong 43-24 record and with 15 games to go before the playoffs. The Wisconsin franchise will now rest until Sunday, when they face off Kevin Durant’s Suns.
Giannis revealed last month how changing coaches in Milwaukee has affected the team: โItโs drainingโ
Respecting a coachโs process seems to be one of the best moves for a healthy team, even though sometimes squads need to be shaken up from their core in order to react positively on the basketball court. However, theย Milwaukeeย franchise has had four head coaches in the past seven months, and it hasn’t been easy for the roster.
During this past All-Star Weekend, starย Giannis Antetokounmpoย was asked about all the events that have occurred behind the scenes with these modifications, and he admitted that it has been โhardโ to deal with them.
โItโs hard. Itโs hard. This is my fourth coach in the span of six months,โ the forward revealed. โCoach (Mike Budenholzer), coach (Adrian Griffin), (interim) coach Joe (Prunty) and Doc. Different philosophy, different game plan. Itโs hard. Itโs draining.โ
The Greek Freak then admitted heโs tried his best to adapt.ย โIโm a student of the game. When somebody asks me to do something, I try to do it to the best of my ability,โ he expressed. โI try to understand what weโre trying to accomplish, both so I can understand and so I can be there for my teammates when they ask questions.โ