Doc Rivers reviews game with Bucks’ vets to address challenges

Amid the Milwaukee Bucks’ recent struggles, Doc Rivers organized a film session on Saturday involving the team’s key nine rotation players, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Beasley, Bobby Portis, Patrick Beverley, Pat Connaughton, and Jae Crowder.

During this session, Rivers allowed each player to share their observations and insights regarding the team’s performance and what they feel is necessary for improvement going forward.

“It’s only the start of these tough and necessary conversations,” one source described the session.

After suffering defeats to the Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, and Toronto Raptors last week, the Milwaukee Bucks faced another setback at home against the New York Knicks on Sunday.

Despite these recent challenges, the veteran players of the Bucks remain steadfast in their belief in the team’s ability to contend for a championship this season.

“I mean, as crazy as it might sound, I feel good,” Lillard said. “Obviously, I hate how the last two weeks or so, however long it’s been, has gone. It’s uncomfortable and it’s frustrating to lose games that we should win and then have a game like tonight where we start off playing well and then have a bad third quarter and get those guys believing and then they take over the game. But when I look around the locker room, I just feel good about it.

“I see Giannis, Khris, Bobby and Brook and Jae and Pat, Beas. When I look around, I just have a true belief in what we have, our experience, how long we’ve been around. And I know that sometimes it gets dark. This league is a tough league. Sometimes you have hard times. And I think that’s what it is for us. And when this kind of stuff happens, everybody’s going to say how bad it is. And ‘This is the problem.’ (or) ‘They gotta do this; they gotta do that.’ But when you just keep fighting in these situations, you never know when it’s going to turn.

“That’s why you gotta stay together, you gotta keep believing. And these are the moments where you find out who’s a real one and who’s not, because everybody’s going to be saying negative stuff and how wrong it is and how bad it is, and you can fold or not fold. That’s what we’re going to learn about ourselves going into the playoffs, based on the experience that we having right now.”