Bucks hope Giannis-Damian Lillard connection and extra well being results in ‘dominant’ season

MILWAUKEE — Final season on Jan. 27, Doc Rivers was formally launched as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.

On the time of his information convention at Fiserv Discussion board that Saturday morning, the Bucks had been 31-14 and on the point of play the New Orleans Pelicans on the second evening of a back-to-back. The Bucks ended the common season with a 49-33 report, with Rivers notching a 17-19 mark after he took over. Finally, the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers scored a first-round upset over the third-seeded Bucks, as Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the whole collection and Damian Lillard performed in simply two of six playoff video games.

After successful the franchise’s second NBA championship in 2021, the first-round exit was the Bucks’ third consecutive early playoff elimination, in addition to the third straight season through which one in all their three foremost gamers missed a majority of their ultimate playoff collection. In 2022, Khris Middleton missed the Bucks’ total second-round collection towards the Boston Celtics. In 2023, Antetokounmpo performed in solely 9 quarters of the crew’s first-round exit towards the No. 8 seed Miami Warmth.

Now, along with his first full season in Milwaukee about to get underway, Rivers had a easy reply for the most important problem going through him.

“Well being shouldn’t be my problem, but it surely’s our problem as a crew,” Rivers stated. “We wish to get to the playoffs wholesome.”

For the Bucks, that may be an enormous first step in attempting to win an NBA title. Being wholesome on the finish of the common season because the crew heads into the playoffs can be important, particularly with a veteran roster, however Rivers admitted it isn’t the one factor he can be centered on.

“We wish to be dominant all season and play nicely all season,” Rivers stated. “So, to me, it’s extra concerning the connection of our crew. The higher continuity we will have by way of the yr, by way of coaching camp, (the higher). That’s one of many causes we’re going away for camp as a result of that’s a serious focus for us. I consider with what we’ve returning and what we’re bringing in, we’ve sufficient, but it surely solely works if we do it as a bunch and along with one thoughts.”

Following Monday’s media day session, the Bucks made their approach to the College of California-Irvine for the primary 5 days of coaching camp. On Monday, when requested concerning the determination to go to California, Rivers claimed that taking camp on the street was an concept that hit him simply over every week into taking on as head coach final season.

“I made a decision that actually 10 days right here, I’m not kidding,” Rivers stated. “I truly wrote that down 10 days after taking the job. We have to get this crew away. I exploit the instance a number of occasions, however take into consideration Dame. I all the time use final yr. Dame will get traded. Comes within the day earlier than camp, the following day they follow, and what does he do after follow? Goes again to the lodge. Giannis goes dwelling. Khris Middleton goes dwelling. All of the gamers go dwelling. No connection. And that occurs after which the season begins.

“I feel it’s vital that they’ll be using within the automotive collectively to and from follow, going to dinners, spending time. I want it was longer, truthfully… However from a crew standpoint, the longer they’re collectively, (the higher). It’s good that our first recreation is on the street, so it type of extends it, you already know? No households. No mates round. Simply us. I feel that’s good for our crew.”

Persevering with to construct the connection between Antetokounmpo and Lillard can be a serious a part of that undertaking for Rivers. Whereas GM Jon Horst advised The Athletic he would once more make the commerce that introduced Lillard to Milwaukee a number of days earlier than coaching camp, there was no denial from the group about simply how troublesome it was for the Bucks to try to merge the offensive talent units of two superstars on the fly.

“I feel now we’re in a really, superb place,” Antetokounmpo stated. “Earlier than, we by no means had a participant like him. It’s simply one thing that slowly, slowly with time you perceive. It’s positively arduous after I’m 29 and he’s 34 at this second of our careers to type of change the habits you’ve created, however if you wish to win, you’ve gotten to take action. I feel we each — me, him and the remainder of our crew — are keen to do no matter it takes to win.”

Following the Bucks’ first-round exit final season, Antetokounmpo advised reporters that, after he recovered from the left soleus (calf) pressure that stored him out of playoff motion, he would make his approach to Portland to work out with Lillard and get to know him higher. Antetokounmpo revealed Monday that didn’t occur, as his summer season was crammed with rehab for the damage, coaching for the Olympics, representing Greece within the Olympics and getting married to his longtime associate, Mariah Riddlesprigger, in Greece.

Whereas Antetokounmpo and Lillard not assembly might draw headlines, Lillard downplayed the significance. As a substitute, he defined that it was way more vital for the Bucks’ celebrity duo to be on the identical web page from a communication standpoint and revealed that he believes that they had a breakthrough throughout final season’s playoff run, even with each of them sidelined.

“I feel subconsciously, we’re who we’re due to how cussed we’re and the way a lot we consider in what we consider,” Lillard stated Monday. “And I’ve by no means performed with a participant of his degree. He’s by no means performed with some extent guard like me. So I feel it simply took time for it to get up to now the place I’m going to say what I have to say to you and it doesn’t should be destructive or like I’m coming at you, however I can say it, know that you just’re going to take it as what I feel the most effective factor is and vice versa.

“And I feel we’ve had loads of conversations about stuff like that, however I feel as soon as it bought later within the season, we began to have increasingly more. After which, at one level within the playoffs, I feel it was possibly Recreation 4 in Indiana, we each missed that recreation. Everyone went out to heat up, and me and him had been the one two folks within the locker room. And I simply advised him, ‘I don’t know what’s gonna occur, however me and also you gotta get related. We gotta get one thing accomplished.’ And he agreed. And as soon as he agreed, the dialog went a complete totally different means after that. It turned a way more open dialog. From there, it simply went into the summer season and communication. And I feel that’s extra vital than us getting on the courtroom, figuring out collectively and all that stuff.

“You may work out till you’re blue within the face, and (as) quickly as I say one thing in a recreation or he says one thing in a recreation and it don’t register or it’s not being obtained, then it’s not gonna work the way you need it to work. However I feel that communication was open, and I feel that was crucial factor.”

On prime of figuring out one another higher and having a extra open line of communication, Lillard echoed most of the similar sentiments he shared following the ultimate recreation of his first season with the Bucks relating to what an actual offseason might do for him in 2024-25. Earlier than final season, Lillard didn’t work out and put together for the season as he usually would as he waited for the Portland Path Blazers to determine in the event that they had been going to commerce him.

That was not the case this offseason.

“My teammates and my coaches, they’re going to get the actual model of me this yr,” Lillard stated. “And that’s with out placing expectations on myself, I simply know what sort of yr I had and I do know the kind of summer season I had (final yr) and preparation I had, and so they’re going to get the actual model of me. That’s actually all I can say.”

With the entire speaking accomplished, the Bucks completed their media day duties and headed west. As revealed by the crew Monday, Middleton will begin coaching camp barely restricted after offseason ankle surgical procedures, which implies Rivers’ job of getting the crew to the postseason wholesome began earlier than camp even opened. The remainder of the work — the work wanted to create and foster the connection wanted to be a really nice crew — began as quickly because the gamers stepped on the crew aircraft Monday afternoon.

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And it’ll proceed till the second the 2024-25 season ends.

“The entire week lengthy, it’s going to be simply us collectively, whether or not it’s on the gymnasium or within the lodge or at no matter restaurant or no matter exercise we go to, we’re all the time going to be collectively,” Bucks middle Brook Lopez stated. “Simply being collectively, hanging out … so long as we’re there collectively, fostering that group, that tradition, I feel spending as a lot time as doable collectively, yeah, is totally a profit for us. So being on the street goes to be massive for us.”

Let the journey start.

(Photograph of Damian Lillard: Benny Sieu / USA Immediately Community by way of Imagn Pictures)