Giannis Antetokounmpo did not hold back in his interview after the Milwaukee Bucks’ loss to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The superstar power forward was frustrated with the team’s lack of effort in the 122-102 defeat on January 21st, 2026.
“We’re not playing hard,” Antetokounmpo said “We’re not playing to win. We’re not playing together. Our chemistry is not there. Guys are being selfish. Guys will try to look for their own shot instead of looking for the right shot for the team. At times I feel like when we’re down 10, 15 20 [points], we tried to make it up in one play. You got to know that you have to compete for 48 minutes and try to get the best shot for 48 minutes. If you don’t do that, and you’re trying to get the first shot available, on a one-pass shot, it’s not going to work on [OKC, Minnesota and San Antonio].”
“I’m not the guy that will yell and cuss his teammates out and demand the ball,” Giannis said “I’ve never done that in my career, but I feel like I’ve played with teammates that kinda understand the gravity that I can cause for our team and how I can create for my teammates or for myself and how I can help the team be more successful. But maybe for some reason — I don’t understand.
“Maybe because we’re young, maybe because we’re not playing well, maybe because guys think it’s their turn, they want to carry the team on their back and try to turn this around, but I really don’t get it. I really don’t. It’s not like I’m not trying to be aggressive. I’m really trying to be aggressive. I have coaches, people that talk to me, they told me there’s this thing that’s called the white swan and the black swan. You gotta be the black swan and be more aggressive and demand the ball. It’s something I’ve never done in my whole career. Maybe I gotta do it more.”
Antetokounmpo finished the game with only 19 points and shot the ball only 11 times. His third-lowest point total of the season. The Bucks are currently 18-25 and 11th in the Eastern Conference.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Unhappy With Team Effort in 20-Point Loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder
What’s Wrong With the Milwaukee Bucks?
Outside of the Giannis Antetokounmpo drama, the Milwaukee Bucks have some glaring issues. First and foremost is the lack of a true ball-handling point guard on the roster. This has made getting the ball to Giannis even more difficult this season, especially when he is in the post. Not to mention, this has made Milwaukee’s offense look disjointed too often.
Furthermore, the Bucks need a true secondary scorer to alleviate some pressure off of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Kevin Porter Jr. is currently the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 16.8 points per game. Damian Lillard may not have been the best long-term fit for the Bucks, but he could at least score when it was needed the most.
Perhaps the biggest weakness for the Milwaukee Bucks this season is their defensive inconsistencies. They rank 21st in team defensive rating (116.3) as of January 23rd and 19th in team defensive rebounding percentage (69.0 percent). Considering all of this, the Milwaukee Bucks will have some tough decisions to make as the NBA Trade Deadline draws closer. Especially if the team does decide to put their superstar power forward on the trade block. If that does happen, there will be plenty of suitors vying for the one-time champion’s services.
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