"When a motherf**ker coach who try to coach too much" - Former Warrior implies Doc Rivers' style is hurting Giannis Antetokounmpo & co.
Gilbert Arenas recently went off on Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers on his podcast, attacking the veteran's coaching style. The former Warriors guard discussed the Bucks' poor start to the season (4-9) on his Gils Arena Show and suggested over-coaching might be a reason behind their struggles.
Discussing Milwaukee's struggles to win matches despite having stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, Arenas suggested that overcoaching could be an issue given that the duo alone should be capable of winning games.
"I don't know if it's overcoaching, like alone just him (Giannis) and Dame should be able to win you games right?" Gills continued, "Are you literally have to be trying to really coach them? Nah, you know when a motherf**cker coach try to coach too much."
"Sometimes coaches overthink and they wanna micromanage everything and the micromanaging actually hurts your production. I think this is what's going on"
The 42-year-old, who played for the Warriors between 2001-03, said sometimes the coach's desire to control every element of the game limits the team. He claimed such a gameplan has hurt the Bucks' production, saying a team with this level of star quality should be doing better than taking 70-80 shots a game.
He also said the Bucks weren't a team without experience and believed that their caliber alone should be able to win them matches:
"Sorry, teams with no stars is winning games. So you're telling me my stars can't win games, my veteran team can't win games just rolling the ball out. I should be able to roll the ball out and win 40% of the games," a visibly frustrated Arenas said
Giannis Antetokounmpo said the Bucks "don't have an identity"
The Milwaukee Bucks are struggling in the 2024-25 season, sitting in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference with a 4-9 record. Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's 32.3 points and Damian Lillard's 26.0 points per game, the Bucks have struggled to go on a winning streak.
Following their 115-102 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 27, Giannis questioned his team's identity in a media interview:
"Right now, we don’t have an identity. Like, how are we going to win the game? Are we going to defend for 48 minutes? Are we going to move the ball for 48 minutes? Are we going to attack and play fast for 48 minutes or 36 minutes and slow down in the last 12? We gotta find an identity. We don’t have that right now."
Many initially dismissed his concerns since the season had just begun. However, as the season progresses it's evident that he was right, with the Bucks struggling to establish a style of play.