“He is lying”: Lou Williams berates Giannis Antetokounmpo amid ignorant preparation in his career

Giannis Antetokounmpo sometimes loves to banter with reporters. Over the past few years, he has become even a resident jokester. Antetokounmpo’s dad jokes have become somewhat highly anticipated highlights in some of his press conferences.

After the All-Star Game, the two-time MVP was asked by reporters about Doc Rivers’ addition to the Milwaukee Bucks and their team’s trajectory. Rivers was hired by the Bucks to replace Adrian Griffin, who would have been the one coaching the East All-Stars if he had not been dismissed by Milwaukee.

Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t in the mood to answer the question straight up so he decided to be coy about it. He ended up saying that he doesn’t prepare much before games as he loves to compete without knowing who the Bucks will be playing. Antetokounmpo tried to suppress a grin when he responded to the question.

Lou Williams, on the “Run It Back” show, had this to say about Antetokounmpo’s comments:

(22:20 mark)

“One, he’s [Antetokounmpo] is lying. This quote alone, take away all the accolades and everything that we know about Giannis, just this thing alone. And we wanna blame Doc Rivers for everything? … You can’t go out there as the leader of the troops and say, ‘Oh, I like to come into games unprepared.

"Was he trying to say something clever? Sure, but it didn’t come off right.”

Williams added that most NBA players don’t want basketball when they get a break. However, they have film sessions dedicated to studying their opponents. Every team in the league also has scouts that break down how opposing teams play. Antetokounmpo would undoubtedly have to be a part of this kind of session which was why Williams said that the superstar was lying.

The Milwaukee Bucks are 3-7 since Doc Rivers became the coach. Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates are still clearly adjusting to how Rivers runs both the offense and defense. Leading into the All-Star break, they lost 113-110 to a Memphis Grizzlies team that didn’t have their top 6 players.

The Bucks have plenty of things to catch up on, particularly their defense, which was expected to improve under Rivers. One can be sure that Milwaukee has had several film studies where they have had to digest material regarding themselves and their opponents.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most prepared players in the NBA

Giannis Antetokounmpo has to be joking when he says that he doesn’t watch films and study opponents before games. He may be held out for some practices but he is unquestionably up-to-date with the latest scouting report on teams they will be playing against.

The way “The Greek Freak” prepares himself every game should be a clue to how he tries to get himself ready before tip-off. He reportedly warms up for nearly three hours, gets into the ice bath for 15 minutes and another 15 in a normatech suit. If he is as focused and as detailed as that, fans can count on him watching films and trying to dissect opponents.