The Nuggets went into Milwaukee on Friday night on the second night of a back-to-back, with most of their rotation sitting out. And still, Denver led for most of the game, and held on for a 102-100 win over a desperate Bucks team that was almost depressing to watch.
Giannis Antetokounmpo played and put up 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists, but he looked disinterested and disengaged at times, ultimately getting pulled in the closing minutes with what now appears to be a calf injury.
This season has been a nightmare for the Bucks, who are now 18-26 on the season, currently sitting outside of the top 10 in the Eastern Conference. The Giannis trade rumors have been an ongoing part of the conversation, and he has done little but fan the flames with frequent wishy-washy comments about his future.
The team is fairly hopeless. They’ve done everything they can to try and upgrade over the years, but the roster is just not good enough, and it seems like they’re out of options at this point. It feels like things are headed for an inevitable divorce, and perhaps a messy ending for the greatest Bucks in the history of the franchise.
Jokic avoids controversy at all times
Although Nikola Jokic obviously wasn’t playing, it was hard not to think of him during this game. Giannis is one of his true contemporaries in the league, and their careers have had a lot of parallels over the years. But recently that has changed. Giannis has clearly grown more frustrated with his situation and has pressured the front office to make some ill-advised moves.
Now, it has reached the point where he’s almost holding the franchise hostage. They’ve done everything they can to appease him, and they’ll keep doing everything to make him happy. But he acts like he already has one foot out the door while taking no accountability.
It’s hardly like this is all his fault; that’s not the case at all. But it goes to show how things can go for a generational superstar in a small market. It’s certainly similar to Jokic’s situation, but the Joker has been nothing but quiet and patient. He easily could have made a stink watching one key player after another from the 2023 championship team leave in free agency.
He would have had every right to make a stink about how bad the bench was the last few years, how ownership has cheaped out on multiple occasions, how he has never had an All-Star teammate, and many other reasonable gripes, but he’s never made a peep.
Jokic has shown nothing but loyalty to Denver and the organization. He has allowed the front office to build, and as a result, they’ve now rewarded him with a near-perfect roster. Jokic is everything fans should want in a superstar, and Nuggets fans couldn’t be luckier to have him.