Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t losing any sleep over Doc Rivers’ criticism.
The Miami Heat forward told The Athletic that the remarks from his former Milwaukee Bucks coach haven’t shaken his confidence, even after Rivers questioned his basketball IQ and called him difficult to coach on “The Bill Simmons Podcast.” Rivers has since said he regrets those comments.
Antetokounmpo first brushed back against the criticism after Miami beat the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 8, calling the remarks “crazy” and telling kids to “never let bitterness and pettiness get in front of your goals and dreams.”
When asked later whether Rivers’ words would fuel him, Antetokounmpo made it clear they wouldn’t.
“That’s external motivation. That can make you hungry for a game or two, but it’s either in you or it’s not, you know what I’m saying?
What people say, that’s not going to make you hungry. In order for you to be really hungry, it’s got to be the way you go about your life.”
He doubled down on that confidence, too.
“My level of belief is 100%,” Antetokounmpo said. “It never wavers.
No matter what anybody says. That’s how I operate.”
And when the subject turned to whether the comments were costing him sleep, the answer came fast.
“Hell no,” he said. “Losing sleep? Hell no.”
The numbers back up the swagger. Antetokounmpo is putting up 27.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and one block per game, a stat line no other active player can match.
He also powered Miami to a 115-109 win over the Utah Jazz on Nov. 10 with 30 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
Still, the Heat have work to do. Miami is 5-6 after the offseason deal that brought the two-time MVP over from Milwaukee, and the team sits 19th in both net rating and offensive rating. The bigger issue, though, has been defense: the Heat are 25th in defensive rating.
Coach Erik Spoelstra said a strong preseason gave him the wrong read on what this team would be early on.
Spoelstra has seen slow starts before. His 2010-11 Heat team, led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, opened 9-8 and still made the NBA Finals.
Rivers’ comments landed in a tricky spot, too. He made them to Simmons, a longtime Celtics loyalist, and Boston also pursued Antetokounmpo before Miami landed him.
For all the noise, Antetokounmpo’s résumé remains untouched: two MVPs, a Defensive Player of the Year award, a championship and 10 All-Star selections. The Athletic ranked him 24th all time in 2022.
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His salary is large enough to complicate almost any path to Miami, and getting there could require the kind of multi-team construction that turns a simple target into a complicated project. Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Jovic are among the names that could have to be folded into the math, which is exactly the sort of costly gamble the Heat would have to weigh if they decide LaVine is worth pursuing. [Read more 🡒]