Giannis Antetokounmpo led Team Greece to a win in their EuroBasket opener against Italy on Thursday, scoring 31 points in a 75-66 victory. In attendance for that victory were Bucks general manager Jon Horst, head coach Doc Rivers, and assistant coaches Vin Baker and Darvin Ham, writes Michalis Gioulenoglou of EuroHoops.
After the game, Rivers spoke about the experience of watching his star compete for the Greek national team.
“I love watching the movement and how they play,” he said, as relayed by Giorgos Kyriakidis of BasketNews. “I always steal plays, I watch it, and I take some of these plays back home and I run them. Yeah, I love all the movement, all the elbow action.”
Rivers, who is planning on staying to watch at least one more of Antetokounmpo’s games, noted that the two-time MVP tends to operate out of the post more at EuroBasket than in the NBA. Ham elaborated on some of the other differences he’s seen.
“He’s trying to involve his teammates and allow his teammates to help him help them,” said Ham. “It’s more team-oriented, more sets, and all of that here is different. They don’t play as fast as we do in the NBA, but in the NBA, his usage rate is off the charts. He constantly has the ball in his hands, so a little bit different role for him over there.”
While Ham was clear that Antetokounmpo is an unselfish player regardless of the situation, he summed it up in a simple sentence: “With us, he has to be Superman.”
Antetokounmpo’s Greek team coach, Vassilis Spanoulis, also answered questions about the star player and whether he’d be load-managed during games that might not be as crucial for the Hellas, according to Gioulenoglou.
“Giannis can play as much as I want him to play, we are in the official games now and there’s no limitations anymore,” Spanoulis said.
When asked about the experience of coaching Antetokounmpo this year versus prior years, Spanoulis saw a clear difference in approach despite the same personality he’s used to.
“He is more vocal this year. He is very humble for his status and the kind of player he is, and that extends off the court,” he said. “He wants to win, he wants to get this team to another level. He listens, but he can also lead the team in his own way.”
Team Greece, which most recently won the EuroBasket tournament in 2005, will next face off against Cyrpus on Saturday, followed by a matchup with Georgia on Sunday.