East Notes: Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Pistons, Pacers, Kam Jones

Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo says he isn’t ready to call himself one of the all-time greats. At least not yet.

“I’m not there yet,” Antetokounmpo said, via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “They’re like top 10 all-time. I’ve got a lot of work to do. But I’m going to be there.”

The Bucks star said his focus is on winning, not stats, while acknowledging he still has “a lot to prove” before being mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Meanwhile, Wednesday will mark Khris Middleton’s first game back in Milwaukee since being traded to Washington.

As Bijan Todd of Monumental Sports Network noted, Middleton called it an “emotional” night in the making. Antetokounmpo agreed.

“When he comes here and he sees the tribute video, he should be in tears,” Antetokounmpo said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “That’s my brother for life. We’ve done incredible things together.”

Pistons

The Pistons didn’t finalize rookie extensions for Jalen Duren or Jaden Ivey, setting up what could be a wild 2026 offseason, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.

Both will hit restricted free agency that summer, with Tobias Harris (unrestricted) and Ausar Thompson (extension-eligible) also in line for new deals.

Thompson could be next in line for a breakout, especially after what teammate Cade Cunningham called “a great summer.”

“He’s going to wake a lot of people up,” Cunningham said, via Hunter Patterson of The Athletic.

Thompson added that his focus is simply on “having the right mentality every single game.”

Pacers

The Pacers officially locked in Aaron Nesmith on a two-year, $40.4 million extension, as announced by the team and first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN.

“Aaron Nesmith embodies our team’s selfless, fast-paced style,” president Kevin Pritchard said in the release.

Nesmith, 26, has become one of the league’s top 3-and-D wings, shooting 42.3% from three last season and 49.2% in the playoffs, per ESPN research.

He averaged 12.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 26.6 minutes during the regular season and played a key role in Indiana’s run to the Finals.

Separately, Noe Padilla and Ryan Murphy of The Indianapolis Star report that rookie guard Kam Jones told police he was “running late for practice” when officers attempted to pull him over Monday morning.

Jones faces charges of reckless driving and resisting law enforcement after a brief chase on I-65.