"Same warrior mentality" - Bucks' head coach Doc Rivers reckons he discovered Kevin Garnett in Giannis Antetokounmpo
Throughout his lengthy coaching career, Doc Rivers has had the chance to coach a wide range of superstar players. Now with the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard join that list. Rivers recently opened up on how the two-time MVP reminds him of a current Hall of Famer he used to coach.
The most notable stop in Rivers' career was with the Boston Celtics. During his time there, he coached the trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to a championship. When talking about Giannis, Doc Rivers stated he sees a little bit of Garnett in him.
"He has a lot of Garnett in him," Rivers said. "His actions are very similar...He has that same warrior mentality. He's the first player that I've had since Garnett that reminds me of Garnett."
Seeing as though they are both hyper-athletic forwards who impact both sides of the floor, this is a suitable comparison from Rivers. This is also high praise for Giannis, as Garnett had a long and successful career in the NBA before retiring in 2016.
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Kevin Garnett was a key piece of Doc Rivers' most successful team
Another reason why this is high praise for Giannis Antetokounmpo is how much Kevin Garnett means to Doc Rivers. The Hall of Fame forward was a key piece in what most consider his most successful team.
In his 25 years as a head coach, Rivers has only led a team to a championship on one occasion. That was in 2008, when the Boston Celtics took down Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers.
While many factors led to this title win, Garnett was a main component. As Rivers said, he had a warrior mentality and was constantly vocal. Garnett was an anchor for that team, especially on the defensive end. 2008 was the lone year Garnett secured the Defensive Player of the Year award as well.
During the regular season that year, Garnett averaged 18.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks. Along with DPOY, he was named All-NBA first team and finished top three in MVP voting.
In the finals against the Lakers, Garnett averaged 18.2 points and 13.0 rebounds across six games. Despite these impressive numbers, he did not come away with Finals MVP. That was awarded to Paul Pierce, who averaged nearly 22 points in the series.
Seeing that Giannis already has an impressive resumé himself, he has a chance to live up to and possibly even surpass this legendary comparison.