Giannis: 'Draining' for Bucks to Be on 4th Coach in 6 Months After Doc Rivers Hire

While Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have had a solid season so far, it has also been an exhausting year for the superstar.

That stems from the volatility at the head coaching position over the past year for the Bucks. After Milwaukee's first-round playoff exit in May, the team fired Mike Budenholzer and hired Adrian Griffin, who didn't make it to February before he was fired despite a 30-13 start.

The Bucks ultimately hired veteran head coach and NBA champion Doc Rivers, who has gotten off to a rocky start. For Antetokounmpo, the changes have been taxing, per The Athletic's Rob Peterson.

"It's hard. It's hard. This is my fourth coach in the span of six months," Antetokounmpo said during his media availability at All-Star Weekend. Coach (Mike Budenholzer), coach (Adrian Griffin), (interim) coach Joe (Prunty) and Doc. Different philosophy, different gameplan. It's hard. It's draining."

"I'm a student of the game. When somebody asks me to do something, I try to do it to the best of my ability. I try to understand what we're trying to accomplish, both so I can understand and so I can be there for my teammates when they ask questions."

Since Rivers was hired in late January, the Bucks have gone 3-7 and have dropped from second to third in the Eastern Conference standings.

The frustrations mounted during the Bucks' final game before the All-Star break against the Memphis Grizzlies, who are riddled with injuries and fielded a team consisting of several rookies and several two-way contract players.

After the loss, Rivers expressed his frustration, hinting that some of his players took the night off.

"We had some guys here, we had some guys in Cabo," Rivers said.

Still, Giannis said he's enjoyed playing for Rivers at this early stage in their partnership.

"But yeah, I love working with Coach Doc. He's been very, very successful. We can talk all day about things he's accomplished around the league," he said. "He's won, I think, 1,100 NBA games. Some people have never played 1,100 games. He brings that level of—how can I say—a championship level to the team. He won. He's coached a lot of successful teams in the past. When you have that guy in your bench, you have to bring your A game."

With the All-Star break underway, Rivers, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will look to regroup and finish the season strong as they prepare for what they hope will be a deep playoff run.