While dealing with COVID, Antetokounmpo discusses why he still believes in the Bucks, P3

Shidonna Raven
Mar 30
2 min read

Update September 29, 2025

Photo / Image Source: Unsplash,

Lillard wasn’t the only notable player to depart Milwaukee. The exits of Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton leave Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo as the only remaining players from the Bucks’ 2021 championship team. Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Giannis’ older brother, is back with the Bucks this year after missing last season with a torn Achilles tendon.

Milwaukee’s roster now is younger and more athletic.

“We’ve just got to put our butts down, put our heads down and stay locked in the whole year long and try to win some games and hopefully get in the playoffs and then don’t get eliminated in the first round,” Antetokounmpo said. “That’s pretty much it. And then we go from there.”

The Bucks plan to have Antetokounmpo handle the ball more and surround him with shooters, similar to the strategy they used while surging late in the 2024-25 regular season when Lillard was out with deep vein thrombosis.

“I just felt strongly that to take that next step, we’d need more speed, we’d need more guys who could guard multiple positions,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “And I thought we needed to play a different brand of offense as well. Putting Giannis on the ball has been huge for us. It gets us downhill. It gets the ball up the floor faster, which is important for us.”