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Bucks’ Doc Rivers reveals Giannis’ reaction to point guard suggestion

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints | By Malik Brown | Last updated Jul 11, 2025 9:47 AM ET

The Milwaukee Bucks had a rough end of the season last year, as they dealt with injuries to one of their biggest positions, point guard. Damian Lillard missed time because of blood clots, and after he came back, he tore his Achilles. That meant the pressure was on Giannis Antetokounmpo to elevate his game, and that meant giving him the ball more.

With the Bucks only having one point guard on the roster so far this season, that may lead to Antetokounmpo having the ball more in his hands this upcoming season. Head coach Doc Rivers recently shared how his conversation went with Antetokounmpo when he talked about him being the point guard.

“When I brought it up with Giannis— he thought I lost my mind because he already has the ball in his hands,” Antetokounmpo said. “The whole league right now, everybody is pressuring the ball, nobody is pressuring Giannis. It allowed us, even against Indiana, to be pressure-free.

Doc Rivers on Giannis Antetokounmpo playing point guard

“When I brought it up with Giannis— he thought I lost my mind.”

(h/t @Heavenlybuckets) pic.twitter.com/W1QpKKYR7c

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) July 11, 2025

“The most dangerous guy on are team had the ball already, and when you put shooting around that, that’s where the Gary Trent and the AJ Greens. I think both of those guys are going to have breakout years for us. That’s where that all came into play. I want to pick up from that and build on it.”

Antetokounmpo bringing up the ball does allow the Bucks to try different things on offense, and it opens up the floor like Rivers suggested.

Giannis Antetokounmpo drops hint about future with Bucks

While Rivers was talking about playing Antetokounmpo at point guard, many are still wondering if he is going to stay with the Bucks or request a trade. The Bucks have made a few moves this offseason to try and improve their team, and the hope is that Antetokounmpo is satisfied with the moves, and that he believes they can compete.

Antetokounmpo recently dropped a hint on if he would be staying with the Bucks while he was on IShowSpeed’s stream.

“Probably,” Antetokounmpo said when asked if he was staying with the Bucks. “We’ll see. I love Milwaukee.”

Antetokounmpo has seen success with the Bucks throughout his career, but the past three years have not been great in the postseason, as they’ve lost in the first round of the playoffs every year. It’s obvious some things had to change, and that’s what they’ve done so far this offseason. Now, they just have to wait on what Antetokounmpo decides to do.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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