As he prepares to make his run with Greece at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo is stressing the importance of team chemistry.
In an interview with eurohoops.net, Antetokounmpo commented on the three games Greece played in the “Atlas” preparation tournament. He says the time he spent with his teammates was important, as he hasn't played with the Greek national team for two years.
“It was a very important tournament,” Antetokounmpo said after the win over Venezuela per the Greek Federation. “Playing three games helps you acquire good chemistry. The rest of the guys have been playing together for quite some time. I haven’t played with the national team for two years, so we needed to find our chemistry. We faced teams that play a different style of basketball, that are very aggressive. They took many long-range shots. These games definitely helped us prepare for our goal, the World Cup games.”
In a victory over the Jordanian side, Antetokounmpo racked up 13 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. The NBA's reigning MVP then set a new career-high of 26 points with the national team in a win over the Dominican Republic. The Bucks star was held out of Greece's third friendly (vs. Venezuela) due to “knee irritation,” however, but most reports indicate that he'll be ready for the start of the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Antetokounmpo and the Greek national team will be playing in Group F for the first round of the FIBA World Cup, along with Brazil, Montenegro and New Zealand.
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