Bucks' Giannis: 'I Want to Play' Amid Load Management Drama Around Kawhi Leonard
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo said Wednesday he's not interested in load management and regularly tries to dissuade head coach Mike Budenholzer from making him miss games to rest.
Antetokounmpo spoke with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports about the issue after leading the Bucks to a 129-124 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, who were without Kawhi Leonard, who's become one of the faces of the load-management movement in recent years.
"I say I don't want to hear it," he said about conversations with Budenholzer about missing games. "I'm trying to get better. I try to talk him out of it."
The Greek Freak added: "I can't speak to what other teams or what other players do. I want to play."
Antetokounmpo had his way in Wednesday's game without Leonard on the floor to defend him. He posted 38 points, 16 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks in 38 minutes.
Along with missing games, Budenholzer told Haynes there's been discussions with the reigning NBA MVP about skipping some of his late-night shooting sessions on practice days. Again, the 24-year-old franchise cornerstone said he wasn't a fan of the idea.
"If I don't get my work in, I don't feel good," Antetokounmpo said. "Like Michael Jordan said, hard work eliminates fear. If you don't harvest your technique, you don't feel good. You're not getting a rhythm."
Meanwhile, the Clippers' decision to hold Leonard out of a nationally televised game against a fellow championship contender generated controversy.
NBA spokesperson Mike Bass released a statement to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski to clarify the league's stance:
"Kawhi Leonard is not a healthy player under the league's resting policy, and, as such, is listed as managing a knee injury in the LA Clippers injury report. The league office, in consultation with the NBA's director of sports medicine is comfortable with the team medical staff's determination that Leonard is not sufficiently healthy to play in back-to-back games at this time."
Leonard was limited to 60 regular-season games for the Toronto Raptors last season, mostly related to load management, and went on to capture the NBA Finals MVP Award while looking healthy throughout the playoffs.
He's expected to return for Thursday night's clash with the Portland Trail Blazers.
