Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo played valiantly against Team Germany during the 2024 Summer Olympics but ultimately was not able to lead his Greek team to the medal rounds. Antetokounmpo is now firmly focused on the 2024-2025 NBA season, as evidenced by a frustrated tweet about his Milwaukee Bucks' holiday schedule on Friday.
Antetokounmpo's tweet came amid a busy offseason that will include the release of his new Nike ‘Greek Freak 6' sneakers. The Bucks did their best to support Antetokounmpo in the 2024 NBA Draft, but the team's draft was panned by NBA insiders.
The NBA's Christmas Day schedule has been released, and it includes contending teams that many fans will be delighted to see, but does not include the ‘Greek Freak' and his merry band of Bucks teammates.
Giannis responds to Christmas Day omission
Giannis Antetokounmpo made it short and sweet as he responded to the Bucks' Christmas Day omission.
“No Christmas game?!” Antetokounmpo wrote with two laughing and crying emojis after his message.
The Bucks last won the NBA championship in 2021 but have not met their vast expectations since.
Last season, Milwaukee quietly finished with a record that was good enough for third place in the Eastern Conference behind the Celtics and Knicks. The previous season they finished with the top record in the Eastern Conference only to watch the Denver Nuggets win the championship.
For the Bucks to get back to prominence, they will need to stay healthy throughout the season and gel as a team. Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton form one of the most exciting ‘Big 3' trios in the National Basketball Association, but they haven't been able to put it all together on the court as of yet.
Bucks regroup after short playoff season
A silver lining from this past spring's postseason disappointment is that the Bucks did their best to compete while Giannis Antetokounmpo was sidelined with an injury. Lillard stepped up, scoring over 31 points per game in four games. Middleton scored over 24 points per game, regaining his former place as one of the top scoring forwards in the Eastern Conference.
Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis added over 17 and 16 points per game, lending their strength to a Bucks team that still has a lot of growing to do. Damian Lillard is a Top 75 all-time NBA player who still hasn't won a title. Expect a great season from him in 2024-2025. Khris Middleton knows how to play off of Giannis and how to enhance his skills as a knockdown mid-range to deep-range shooter and solid passer.
Don't be surprised if Coach Doc Rivers' team finds itself playing for all the marbles next season.
The NBA viewing public might not realize how good they are due to omissions like the one Antetokounmpo mentioned, but they will be given the luxury of flying under the radar and surprising opposing teams all season long in 2024-2025, starting this fall.
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