By George Efkarpidis / info@eurohoops.net
Los Angeles, CA – Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday talked to Eurohoops, after the win against the LA Lakers, about the Milwaukee Buck’s trade deadline day deals, with Jae Crowder joining the team from Phoenix Suns and Jordan Nwora and George Hill leaving for Indiana Pacers.
The two-time MVP, and the leader of the Bucks team, is excited to play with an experienced forward like Crowder.
“He knows how to win and play in the playoffs. He’s been in the finals three of four times in his career. He competes, he can make shots, and he brings toughness. We need that in our team,” Giannis said to Eurohoops.
Antetokounmpo colorfully described what he would bring to the team.
“Me, Khris, and Jrue, we don’t say much; we just do our jobs. It’s kind of like when you walk down the alley to face the bullies, and they run away, you think it’s because of you, but it’s the guy behind you. For us, that was P.J. Tucker two years like. When you played with him, you had a different swag; you felt like you are a bully too. Jae brings that toughness and edge to the team, and I’m very excited to play with him.”
Giannis’ teammate and one of the best defenders in the NBA, Jrue Holiday, believes the former Suns player will help the Bucks improve defensively.
“We can improve. Jae will help us do that. For us, defense wins games and championships. Being hard to score on us is something we take pride in, one through five, especially Brook Lopez, who anchors our team. Adding Jae makes it even more difficult. Sometimes you feel like you might have a matchup, mismatch, or an advantage over us, but in reality, you don’t. It’s fun to take on the challenge and to see what teams will do now against us. I can’t wait to add him to the team and see how it goes,” Holiday said to Eurohoops.
During the final hours before the trade deadline, the Bucks traded away experienced guard George Hill back to the Indiana Pacers.
“I hate to see him go ’cause I’m so close to him on and off the court. But we also know it’s a business, and it sucks. Sometimes you get mixed in a personal side of it because you go through so much together, especially on the court. This part of the business really hurts sometimes,” Holiday added.
The deal that marked the trade deadline day was Kevin Durant’s move to Phoenix Suns, and Antetokounmpo wasn’t surprised that the two-time NBA champion left the Brooklyn Nets at the last moment.
“No, I wasn’t surprised. I kind of felt it once James Harden left, then they were talking about Kyrie Irving asking for a trade, and I kind of saw it coming and the team breaking up,” Giannis said.
And here’s what Giannis had to say about LeBron James scoring record and him being “the absolute example”.