NBA Veteran Continues to Take Major Shots at Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo

He continues to take some shots at one of the best basketball players in the world.

Feb 5, 2022; Portland, Oregon, USA; Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers Center Jusuf Nurkic (27) during the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images | Soobum Im-Imagn Images

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been playing in EuroBasket to represent his country. He loves playing for the Greek national team any chance that he gets.

Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the world, as evidenced by the fact that he finished third in MVP voting just a season ago. He is someone who is very hard to stop once he gets going.

Another NBA player doesn't seem to think that he makes that much of a difference when he's out on the court, especially when facing his team in EuroBasket.

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Jusuf Nurkic takes a shot at Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo

Veteran center Jusuf Nurkic has taken a few shots at Antetokounmpo as both players compete in EuroBasket. He continues to do so, now saying his absence isn't being felt by Greece.

When asked about what changed with the fact that Antetokounmpo missed a matchup against him, this is what Nurkic had to say.

“It didn't change a lot.”

- Jusuf Nurkic on Giannis Antetokounmpo missing today’s matchup

(🎥 @Tsaltas46)

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"I think it didn't change a lot. We still had the same attachment to the defense and offense. Regardless of who's going to play there, you have to have the same discipline."

Not having Antetokounmpo on the court certainly changes a lot, no matter which team is facing him. While the main principles remain the same whether he's out there or not, not having him out there makes things a lot easier for opponents.

Nurkic is trying to communicate that they wouldn't have changed much when it comes to the actual game plan of taking on Greece, but that can't be entirely true.

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The Bucks will need Giannis Antetokounmpo to have a massive impact on their season

While Nurkic might not believe that Antetokounmpo's absence makes a big difference, it certainly does for the Bucks. When he is not on the floor, the Bucks are much worse.

Nurkic certainly benefited from Antetokounmpo not roaming the floor defensively, as he was able to have 18 points and 10 rebounds against Greece. That was much easier to do without Antetokounmpo on the floor.

This past season, Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. He shot 60.1 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

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