Giannis Antetokounmpo Responds to Jabari Parker's Playing Time Complaints

Prior to Friday's Game 3 against the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo addressed teammate Jabari Parker's frustration with his playing time in the first-round playoff series.

Parker, who played just 25 minutes combined in the first two games of the series, said the following Thursday, according to ESPN.com's Nick Friedell:

"For myself, I just try to be a good teammate. I'm not getting what I want right now, but I think there's a bigger picture. I think I did a better job the second game. Not to harp on the first game, but look, I'm human, right? I deserved to be out there and I earned it. Six games and to see that like, I'm not going to handle it well. I have feelings. I've been waiting two years. I've been waiting. And to see that time get cut short—nobody is going to handle that the right way."

As seen in this video courtesy of NBA on ESPN (beginning at the 3:09 mark), Antetokounmpo discussed the situation:

The two-time All-Star said the Bucks have to "make [Parker] know that we need him." He added: "You gotta stay into the game, gotta stay focused. No matter what's going on you gotta stay locked in and do whatever it takes to help the team."

Antetokounmpo elaborated further and said that while he didn't remember how many minutes Parker played in Game 1, he remembered that the Bucks lost.

He said, "It's not about playing time, it's not about minutes, it's not about nothing ... it's about just winning."

Milwaukee trails Boston 2-0 in the series after losing 113-107 in overtime in Game 1 and 120-106 in Game 2.

Parker has just two points in the series, while Antetokounmpo has registered 65 points and played a total of 88 minutes.

Injuries have limited Parker throughout his career, and he appeared in just 31 games during the regular season after returning from a torn ACL.

Parker played 24.0 minutes per game while averaging 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds.

With Parker largely riding the pine, most of the playing time has gone to Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Tony Snell thus far in the series.

The Bucks will have the opportunity to cut their series deficit in half Friday at home, while Game 4 will take place Sunday.