As he begins his first full season as the Milwaukee Bucks head coach, Doc Rivers’ first order of business is to take his team out of town.
The Bucks will hold training camp at the University of California-Irvine in an effort to foster stronger bonds among players, with an ultimate goal of contending for another NBA title. After capturing the league crown in 2021, the franchise’s first in 50 years and just second ever, Milwaukee has won just a single playoff series since.
Immediately prior to the start of last season, the Bucks acquired sharp-shooting guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers to team up with Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Many experts figured the pair would lead the Bucks to a deep playoff run and perhaps a return to championship form.
But the season didn’t go as planned. Lillard was slow to fit in and often seemed out of sync with Antetokounmpo and other teammates. The Bucks fired coach Adrian Griffin in January and brought in Rivers to replace him. The Bucks managed to secure the third seed in the Eastern Conference but the season ended on a sour note, being eliminated from the playoffs in a stunning first-round defeat for the second consecutive year. Antetokounmpo was on the bench, unable to play due to a calf injury, and Lillard was slowed by injury during the series, too.
Speaking at Bucks media day on Monday at Fiserv Forum, Rivers said the idea of holding training camp outside of Wisconsin came to him just days into his Bucks coaching tenure when he decided the team would be better off getting away for a while. He decided that the Bren Events Center on the suburban Los Angeles college campus would serve the purpose.
“I’m not kidding. I actually wrote that down 10 days after taking the job,” Rivers said. “I think about Dame (Lillard). Dame gets traded. Comes in the day before camp, the next day they practice, and what does he do after practice? Goes back to the hotel. Giannis goes home. Khris Middleton goes home. All the players go home. No connection. It’s important that they’ll be riding in the car together to and from practice, going to dinners, spending time. No families. No friends around. Just us. I think that’s good for our team.”
Rivers, general manager Jon Horst and several players, including Antetokounmpo and Lillard, fielded questions from a large throng of reporters who took part in the team’s annual media gathering that was moderated by Lisa Byington, the Bucks television play-by-play announcer.
Although stressing the importance of fostering better connections between his players, Rivers said that the overall health of team will be a primary factor, perhaps most important of all, in the team’s success this season as the Bucks seek to return to elite level.
Antetokounmpo missed the playoffs entirely last season after injuring his calf late in the regular season. Lillard also dealt with an injury in the first-round loss playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers and steady veteran Middleton, who is still being counted on heavily, had offseason surgery on both ankles.
“I would say obviously health is our challenge as a team,” Rivers said. “We want to get to the playoffs healthy, right? But we want to be dominant all season and play well all season. The better continuity we can have through the year, through training camp – that’s one of the reasons we’re going away – that’s a major focus for us. I believe with (who) we have returning and (who) we’re bringing in, we have enough. But it only works if we do it as a group and together with one mindset.”
The Bucks made a splash with a trio of offseason signings that added Gary Trent Jr., Delon Wright and Taurean Prince to a roster that also features returning veterans Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton, among others.
Rivers has also revamped his coaching staff with the most notable addition being top assistant Darvin Ham, a former Bucks player and assistant coach who most recently served as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Antetokounmpo undoubtedly remains the engine that drives the Bucks. The “Greek Freak” will turn 30 in December but shows no signs of slowing down and has remained incredibly durable, despite the injury that kept him out of last season’s playoffs.
Antetokounmpo had a busy offseason during which he played for his home country of Greece at the Summer Olympics in Paris and served as the country’s flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony. He also married his longtime girlfriend Mariah Riddlesprigger in Greece.
“I think experiencing the Olympics was one of the best experiences that I’ve had as a basketball player, probably that and the championship,” Antetokoumpo said during the media day session. “Just seeing all the people there, different colors, different shapes − body shapes − different sports, different cultures. I think it was the most diverse place on earth at that moment.”
Antetokoumpo said he hopes to one day again participate in the Olympics.
For now, he’s focused on making a healthy return to the court with the Bucks while realizing that his intense style of play will lead to some bumps and bruises along the way. “I kind of enjoy being a little banged up. I feel like that’s the way I know that I gave everything that night, everything for my team,” he said.
Lillard spent the offseason intensely focused on his conditioning, which he said has left him at or near his peak. “I’m very close – I don’t know if I can say (best shape) in my life because when you’re younger it’s just easier. But I’m in good shape,” Lillard said.
Lillard appeared to be brimming with confidence as he prepares to take the court with his teammates for the grind of his 12th NBA season. “My teammates and coaches are going to get the real version of me this year,” he said.
Rivers and Bucks players collectively expressed feelings that the team is being overlooked this year given the premature ending to the past two seasons. A sticking point among the group is that the Bucks aren’t on the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule, which is usually reserved for the league’s top teams.
“I think, somewhat, we’ve been overlooked,” Middleton said. “We should have had a Christmas Day game, I believe. But the NBA felt different. I don’t need that as extra motivation, but disappointed a little bit.”
Lopez, though, brought some levity to offset the disappointment. “Alright. Whatever. I guess it’s a good thing,” he said. “I can have Robin (his brother and former Bucks teammate) over and we can sneak to the Christmas tree at 4 a.m. like we used to when we were kids and open presents. Legos, lots of Legos.”
