Photo: Milwaukee Bucks/X

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo talked about getting better at playing from the elbow after Tuesday’s 97-81 NBA Cup Championship victory vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder (26 points/19 rebounds/10 assists/3 blocks/2 steals/10-19 FG/6-11 FT/+14 +/-).

*awarded MVP honors of the Cup*

(via Milwaukee Bucks):

Eric Nehm: “There’s a pass you make to Gary Trent Jr. in the fourth quarter. You don’t get the assist, ends up being a hockey assist for you. How much have you enjoyed kinda dictating games from the elbow and the post? Doc [Rivers] had said, ‘We came out and made sure we were going to get Giannis the ball at the elbow to start the game.’ I guess just how much have you enjoyed that process this season?”

Antetokounmpo: “I’ll be honest with you, in the beginning, I’ve never initiated my offense from the elbow or from the high post. Usually it’s transition or screen-and-roll. So it was kinda a weird transition, and (I) had the conversation with Doc. He told me that, ‘You can be very, very effective when you’re at the elbow. You’re under the wall. It’s very hard for people to show (a) crowd, and when people show (a) crowd, it’s easier for you to make that pass and you’re one step closer to the basket.’ So, this whole summer I was working on that. It’s not only about scoring, there’s levels to it. Sometimes you can facilitate. You can make the hockey assist to GT for the open three. You can create shots for yourself. You can get to the free throw line. I think it allowed me to be a little bit more effective down there and allows me to help my teammates be great. So, it’s something new for me. I’ve played in the elbow for 25 games. I think I will stay there for the rest of my career, because I’m getting better. I’m getting better at it.”