The Bucks announced Thursday the hiring of Mike Budenholzer as the franchise's next head coach, and it appears one of Milwaukee's biggest stars is on board with the decision.
In an interview on ESPN's NBA Draft Combine show Thursday, Giannis Antetokounmpo called Budenholzer a "great coach" and said he's excited to play for him.
The 23-year-old forward also revealed the Bucks arranged for Antetokounmpo and teammate Khris Middleton to meet with Budenholzer the morning before the team extended a formal offer to Budenholzer. Antetokounmpo said that gesture "meant a lot" to him.
"We had a great conversation (before Budenholzer was hired and) talked about the game plan. How he views me as a player, how he can help this team," Antetokounmpo said (via ESPN.com). "I had a lot of tough questions for him. But it was fun, I'm excited to play for him."
Antetokounmpo added: "Obviously I'm not the guy that's going to make the decision. We can reverse that, like the front office is not going to tell me how to shoot a jump shot. I do my job; they do their part. But it was great having the conversation with him."
Antetokounmpo is coming off a season where he averaged 26.9 points, 10 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 75 appearances, but looking ahead to next year, he said, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "I would love to workout in [Budenholzer's] plan. I want to see the game plan, I want to make myself better through his game."
Budenholzer, who was named NBA Coach of the Year during the 2015-16 season, comes to Milwaukee after spending five seasons with the Hawks, leading the franchise to a 213-197 record over that span.
