Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo sends defiant message after injury-riddled season

Perhaps fittingly, the Milwaukee Bucks, in their final game of a dreadful season, were blown out by the Philadelphia 76ers, 126-106, at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday.

The Bucks will miss the playoffs for the first time after nine years with a 32-50 record, their worst since going 15-67 in the 2013-2014 season.

Obviously, a big reason for the Bucks’ decline was the injury-riddled stint of Giannis Antetokounmpo. He played a career-low 36 games.

Despite his nightmarish campaign, which was also hounded by trade rumors and internal friction, Antetokounmpo delivered a defiant message, as quoted in the report from The Athletic’s Eric Nehm.

“It’s part of it. It’s basketball. Obviously, for the first time in my career, not being available for 40 games, it never happened to me. It was definitely tough. But I understand it’s basketball. You’re going to have a down year. You’re going to have an up year. It is how you respond to it,” said Antetokounmpo.

“You can fall down, crumble, whine about it, and cry about it, but that’s not who I am. I’m never gonna do that. The only other choice I have is to put my head down, get better, work out, and dive deep into my craft and what I want to achieve this summer.”

The two-time MVP averaged 27.6 points—his lowest since the 2017-2017 season—9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.

According to a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania, the 31-year-old Antetokounmpo was to blame for the Bucks’ “toxic” environment, with his teammates feeling displeased about all the chatter regarding the 10-time All-Star’s future.

As of now, it remains filled with uncertainties, especially following the exit of coach Doc Rivers. The Bucks might blow up the roster in the offseason, and Antetokounmpo said he has plenty to think about as he tries to move forward from a forgettable season.

“To have a summer from January until October, I’ve never had that in my life. So, I’m going to definitely take advantage of this summer, try to get away from everything and try to do things, and try things that I haven’t tried before,” added Antetokounmpo.

The post Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo sends defiant message after injury-riddled season appeared first on ClutchPoints.