Get to know the assistant coach who helped Giannis Antetokounmpo become an elite scorer

Keeping this assistant coach was a no-brainer.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ coaching crew has gone on a major overhaul that will only have two holdovers from the past season.

Staying with the Bucks coaching staff that will be led by Adrian Griffin are assistant coaches Vin Baker and Josh Oppenheimer.

Oppenheimer may be lesser known, at least to some basketball fans, compared to the four-time NBA All-Star Baker, as his retention was somewhat a no-brainer.

Great relationship

Oppenheimer is the 54-year-old shooting coach of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has formed a solid bond with the superstar.

In an old interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Oppenheimer talked about his great working relationship with Giannis, who he helped become one of the league’s deadliest scorers.

Being true to each other was the reason why he and Giannis clicked, said Oppenheimer:

“The biggest thing is I'm honest with him, he’s honest with me. He comes to work everyday, I come to work everyday. I think he genuinely knows that I want the best for him, and I want him to be the best player that he can possibly be,” said Josh.

It is no secret that Antetokounmpo loves working with coach Oppenheimer.

The Greek Freak is so fond of working with Oppenheimer that in one summer, he convinced the Greek National Team to hire the shooting coach so they could still train together while he prepared for the EuroBasket competition.

Giannis was fortunate to have a skilled coach behind him, but he’s done his part through his tremendous work ethic, Oppenheimer claims:

“The goal is to make him the best player he can possibly be, and that’s him. He's the best player in the world, in my opinion, because of his work ethic and his desire and his passion to be great,” said Oppenheimer.

Oppenheimer joined Milwaukee as an assistant coach in 2013, the same year that the Bucks selected Antetokounmpo as the 15th overall pick.

During his playing days, Josh went undrafted in the 1992 NBA Draft. He would start his coaching career with the Milwaukee but eventually leave the Bucks in 2016 and join the Houston Rockets as an assistant.

Thankful to Giannis

Oppenheimer returned to the Bucks in 2020 and won a championship with the team the next year.

While he is credited for the development of Giannis, now a two-time MVP, Oppenheimer is thankful to the athletic forward for trusting him.

“I'm sort of lucky that he's let me in, and I get to be part of the ride and that he does in that context because I think he does know that I want what's best for him trust me when I say stuff that it comes from wanting to help him become the best player he can be,” Oppenheimer said.

Giannis is one of the NBA’s elite scorers nowadays, and yet not too many know who works with him to improve his craft. Oppenheimer said it is by design that not too many people know him.

“I don't usually talk to the media, you don’t see my name. I’m sure you had to ask who works for them because it's not it's not about me. It’s about making him and helping him try to achieve what he wants to achieve, and that's to be the best player he can possibly be,” Josh concluded.