The Bucks are down 0-2 in their first round series against the Boston Celtics, and while the series moves to Milwaukee for the next two games, the team is giving off a weird vibe right now. On the court, Eric Bledsoe doesn’t seem to know the name “Terry Rozier,” despite the fact that Rozier has dropped 23 points in each of the first two games while being matched up against, as you can guess, Eric Bledsoe.
Off the court, Jabari Parker is openly grumbling about his lack of playing time. Parker explained on Thursday afternoon that he’s “frustrated” about the fact that he hasn’t seen the floor all that much through two games — he played 15 minutes in Game 1 and 10 in Game 2, and is 1-for-7 from the field with two total points so far in the series.
Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t seem particularly empathetic to his teammate’s current mindset. Antetokounmpo was asked about Parker’s comments, and stressed that players have spoken about things with Parker.
“Of course we got to talk to him, as I said, make him know that we need him,” Antetokounmpo said, according to Matt Velazquez of the Journal Sentinel. “Got to stay into the game, got to stay focused. No matter what’s going on you got to stay locked in and do whatever it takes to help the team.”
It’s a weird situation — Parker is a restricted free agent this offseason, and it’s not a great look for his prospects on the market if he can’t get on the floor and show that he’s gotten past his knee injuries. Plus he’s a competitor, so it stands to reason that he believes he would help his team finally win a game if given a chance.
But in Antetekounmpo’s eyes, being this frustrated is counter-productive, and it’s not something the Bucks need right now while they’re trying to get back into the series.
“A lot of people were frustrated with a lot of things, but as I said these are the playoffs,” Antetekounmpo said. “We don’t have time. Our margin for error is not that big. We don’t have time for that. We’ve got to show up as a team and get this W. I’m frustrated — I’m supposed to shoot the ball more. You know what I’m saying? But I care about winning and once we’re all on the same page I think everything is going to be a lot easier for everybody to play.”
The Bucks will take the floor on Friday evening for Game 3 against the Celtics. Before then, it sounds like the team could use a meeting to air some grievances or something.
