Giannis: Depth & culture key to Bucks surviving Bledsoe absence

Nicholas McGee
December 15, 2019 14:29 MYT
The Milwaukee Bucks need to make the most of their depth and harness the team's winning culture to keep winning without Eric Bledsoe, according to Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Point guard Bledsoe will be out for two weeks with the right fibula avulsion fracture suffered in the Bucks' win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

Milwaukee claimed a 125-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers without Bledsoe on Saturday.

The Bucks have won 18 successive games, two shy of their franchise-record run of 20 set in 1971, taking them to 24-3.

Reigning league MVP Antetokounmpo believes they have the resources to thrive in Bledsoe's absence, also suggesting a lay-off of his own would not impact the team's playoff hopes.

"It's tough, one of the best players in the team, he's been playing amazing the whole season, obviously a big piece of the team," Antetokounmpo told reporters.

"We all wish Bled a fast recovery, come back healthy. This team will be exactly how it is right now when he gets back.

"I'm telling you this team is DEEP." pic.twitter.com/wXwL4vSLa3

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 15, 2019
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"We did it when Khris [Middleton] missed a lot of games - we were able to win games without him. We've got to do it without Bled, and if I ever miss games, they've got to do it without me.

"We've built a winning culture around the team and everybody knows what we've got to do when we step on the floor.

"This team is deep. We've got a deep team, it's insane. It doesn't matter if Bled isn't playing, I'm not playing - I think this team could be a playoff team, it could be a 50-win team.

"Khris, Bled, me, all the other guys, we're big pieces, big parts of this team. At the end of the day, if we miss games, other guys got to get the job done. So far we've been doing that."

#Milwaukee Bucks #NBA #basketball #Giannis Antetokounmpo #Eric Bledsoe