Many NBA players didn't have access to a basketball hoop while the 2019-20 season was suspended due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, but reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn't one of those players. Despite previously claiming that he didn't have access to a hoop, Antetokounmpo admitted in Orlando that he did indeed have access to a gym and that he used the time away to continue to work on his craft. Apparently, by claiming that he wasn't able to play ball, Antetokounmpo was hoping to get a leg up on his competition.
"Anybody out there that thought I didn't have access to a gym, they don't even know me," Antetokounmpo said, via ESPN. "So, I just said that to try to get a little bit ahead of the competition."
Back in April, Antetokounmpo told media members on a conference call that he had been doing a lot of work to stay in shape, but that basketball wasn't part of his routine.
"So, I don't have access to hoop," Antetokounmpo said during a conference call. "A lot of NBA players have a court in their house or something, but now I just get home workouts. Ride the bike, treadmill, lift weights and pretty much stay sharp that way, but I don't play basketball."
While access to a basketball hoop during a global pandemic seems like an odd thing to stretch the truth about, for Antetokounmpo it was all about creating a competitive advantage; something he's adept at. But while Antetokounmpo may be well on his way to his second consecutive MVP award, his focus is elsewhere in Orlando.
"To be honest with you, I really haven't thought about it. I saw it a couple days ago, that it ended. I tried not to focus on the MVP talks -- who's the MVP and all that," Antetokounmpo said. "My goal is to get better each day to help my team win games and everything is going to take care of itself. That's what happened last year. I was locked in and winning games and helping my teammates, and it took care of itself. So, that was my main focus. Now, I know it's going to be a lot of people out there talking about the MVP, but that's not my main focus... My main focus is to get better, win games, help my team play good basketball and go and try to win the big trophy. The last time we did that was '71, so that's my main focus right now."
Even though Antetokounmpo was able to work on his game during the hiatus, he and the Bucks will still have time to collectively prepare for the postseason push. Entering the eight "seeding" games in Orlando, the Bucks have a comfortable 6.5 game lead over the Toronto Raptors for the top seed in the East, and aren't in much danger of dropping in the standings. Thus, instead of fighting for position, like some teams will be doing, Milwaukee will be able to use those seeding games to get into peak physical shape before what they hope will be a deep playoff run.
