“We just had three days off. Giannis has had six days off. Plus, we have another two days off. So, we went in the game today saying, ‘We can expire minutes.’” In the aftermath of the Milwaukee Bucks win against the Washington Wizards, Doc Rivers had highlighted just how much he prioritized giving the minutes to the ‘Greek Freak’ and Damian Lillard. The duo’s individual ailments had left very brief windows on when the head coach could use them under unrestricted minutes. However, if the Bucks recent loss taught Rivers anything, it is that he may have needed to be a bit more careful when keeping his players’ health in check.

During the post-game presser, the 63-year-old highlighted the things that he believes went wrong during the recent matchup. After all, analyzing the faults that brought the Bucks’ 7-game win streak to an end may offer some lessons. Along with criticizing the low pass rate, Rivers also highlighted how Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard tried to “will the game” themselves. The head coach did not appreciate this, since “exerting so much energy there” is good for neither of the stars. However, he also indicated that playing Giannis and Dame under more minutes, in back-to-back games, may have caused the lower efficiency rate. With the Bucks now losing by a 140-119 score, this issue is something that cannot be ignored.

“It’s not a lot you can do. You can talk about it, but once you get on the floor…” said Rivers when addressing how he emphasized on restricted minutes and rest post the Bucks-Hawks matchup. “Only thing, I always, you know, you have regrets after the game. I really do wish I had done what I talked about doing. Easy to say now, you know, but maybe that would have helped.”

Giannis had initially sustained a right patella tendinopathy. In the aftermath of the injury, reports revealed that the franchise was being extra careful with Giannis’s minutes. After all, any further damage would harm the Bucks more in the long term. Therefore, he remained on the Injury Report for a couple of games, though in the ‘probable’ category. Post the recent matchup against the Miami Heat, however, Doc Rivers put the ‘Greek Freak’ in the starting lineup for the three most recent games. Furthermore, we saw an almost non-existent minutes restriction, as Giannis played 40, 32, and 34 minutes during the respective games. This may have contributed to the power forward/center recording a -10 efficiency rating in the recent game, even though he scored 31 points in 36 minutes.

The same reasoning can be provided for Damian Lillard too. Despite being initially diagnosed with concussion protocol, the 34-year-old point guard hasn’t missed a game since mid-November. The last four games saw an increase in his minutes too, as he recorded 38, 40, 32, and 34 minutes, respectively. Similarly to Giannis, his efficiency rating was also affected in the recent game. Despite making 25 points in 34 minutes, his rating stood at -10. The fact that the Hawks matchup took place immediately a day after the Detroit Pistons one may have been too much to handle.

In light of this loss, the course of action for Doc Rivers would be to restrict his star player’s minutes until he fully recovers. However, doing so will be no easy task. After all, if history has taught us anything, it is that Doc Rivers cannot stop appreciating Giannis’s on-court prowess.

Doc Rivers recently highlighted Giannis Antetokounmpo’s importance for the Bucks: “Just doing a lot of stuff for us”

During the Bucks-Wizards matchup that took place last week, Giannis Antetokounmpo brought out one of his most stellar performances. He dropped an impressive 42 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Through this feat, the ‘Greek Freak’ recorded the first-ever 40-point triple-double of his NBA career. The fact that Giannis recorded the score after missing the earlier Bucks-Heat NBA Cup game, due to left knee swelling, left Doc Rivers singing his praises.

“He’s doing it every night, making the right plays, he really is,” said the Bucks head coach. “He’s been amazing. He’s scoring, but more importantly, he’s getting everybody involved. It’s so difficult to hold off a passer that can score. The way Giannis is passing, you’ve got to pick your poison. We have so much shooting [ability] on the floor, it really helps him. This is the best stretch by far with me, because he’s not just scoring, it’s everything. He’s just doing a lot of stuff for us, and he’s doing it in the flow.”

The Milwaukee Bucks went through a losing streak during the early part of the season. Now, they have finally gained some momentum. Restricting the star player’s minute at this point in time would be something that Doc Rivers would not want. However, taking precautions now would not only ensure Giannis’s health, it would also ensure that playing back-to-back games does not affect his efficiency.