Nickel: Managing expectations a challenge for Bucks? Giannis says this is a partnership

Minutes after the Milwaukee Bucks won their sixth game out of the first 10 this season, rookie head coach Adrian Griffin talked about his biggest challenge. And it wasn’t the quirky rotations or dealing with injuries or creating drop defenses or his team coughing up a ghastly amount of turnovers (15) against Chicago.

It was this:

“There's a lot of expectations on our team and the toughest part for me just managing those expectations,” said Griffin.

“Like we just won the game and I walk in the locker room and there's this expectation we should win by 20 or 30 points. A win is a win - it's about the process and it's about getting better each game.”

What Griffin said makes all the sense in the world, but the Bucks are not playing the kind of basketball right now to match their talent and depth, or to reflect their experience and standout locker room leadership. Everyone from Giannis Antetokounmpo to Bobby Portis to Cameron Payne has been addressing the fact that the team is trying to figure out roles and rules.

This is no time for the Bucks to lower their standards.

But in perhaps his most unguarded press conference to date (obviously, a very short tenure) Griffin gave a hint Monday night to what’s been going on when he answered a question about getting a spark in the win against the Bulls from rookie forward Andre Jackson Jr.:

“We need that right now, because sometimes there's a little dark cloud around us for whatever reason,” said Griffin.

And then this:

"They're juggling more than what people know,” said Griffin. “We don't disclose everything."

He continued.

“Different lineups, minute restrictions, having a new coach, trying to learn different language - different terminology, and then going out there and have to perform to a high level," said Griffin. "They've been tremendously awesome, just with the professionalism, trying to buy in. This hasn't been easy on them.

“Jae (Crowder) is out. Dame (Damian Lillard), in and out. Khris (Middleton) is still kind of on minute restrictions. It has been a lot for them. So, I want to tip my hat off to our players.”

A start like this might freak out an insecure and selfish team, but the Bucks are neither of those. They're just kind of a sputtering mess of a blended family of all-stars and new talent right now. As Antetokounmpo said, they're not trying to figure out who they are, but who they want to be.

And a little mystery is a good thing. After a 32-minute return performance against the Bulls (3 of 17 shooting, 5 turnovers to his 5 assists), Lillard noted that it’s good that the team is keeping some of its circumstances private, in-house. It matches his personality of wanting to work things out internally.

This could be a bonding opportunity for the team.

It is, after all, not even yet Thanksgiving, and on the basketball schedule, that's barely enough time for a proper introduction. The Bucks are a team with half the roster above or right around the age of 30. Lillard said Milwaukee can count on the wisdom from experience to manage the goals for the year and still figure things out in the coming months.

"It's what everybody expects of us - because of what we have,” said Lillard of the Bucks' talented lineup. "I don't think we address it. We are not sweating it to need to talk about it every day. We have all been around long enough to know from time to time, things get hard. It's a long season. There's rough patches.”

After the game, Antetokounmpo mused, with a wry little smile:

“All of a sudden everybody cares about the Milwaukee Bucks.”

Yes, isn't that interesting. But isn't this what happens when Antetokounmpo chooses to stay (Again!) in our terrible city? This is what happens when the Bucks leap over the salary cap and build a super team. When Brew City has the third highest payroll in the NBA - over Boston, Philly, Miami, Lakers.

Working under the fifth head coach of his career (previously Larry Drew, Jason Kidd, interim Joe Prunty, Mike Budenholzer), Antetokounmpo seems to really appreciate Griffin's open door policy to discuss games, shoot around, practices anytime. He appreciates Griffin’s willingness to adapt from being the one-time assistant at Toronto that beat the Bucks in the playoffs in 2019 to the leader in Milwaukee in 2023.

"Because, he played against us, but it's different playing against us,” said Antetokounmpo. “It’s different seeing us every single day and seeing what Bobby (Portis) is really good at, what Brook (Lopez) does, Khris (Middleton). He has to manage and put them in the position to be successful - each of them - as much as you can as a coach.”

Throughout all of this, Antetokounmpo maintains his lifelong mantra, to remain hungry and humble. To improve game to game.

And so Antetokounmpo wants to absorb some of those managerial and leadership challenges Griffin mentioned after the Bucks beat the Bulls.

“Being 28 now, being 11 years in the league, I feel like it's a partnership,” said Antetokounmpo. “If I see something that I can help him and make his job easier, I say it.

“As I said this is a partnership. It goes back and forth. I don't think in every team in the NBA, that's the case. But  for sure here with ‘Griff.’ It’s definitely been a partnership with everyb-- not just me, but every single player."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Managing expectations a challenge for Bucks? Giannis eyes partnership