Doc Rivers Says Giannis Wasn't 'Easy' to Coach, 'Doesn't Necessarily Have This Super IQ'

After serving as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks for parts of three seasons, Doc Rivers gave his thoughts Friday on what it was like to coach Giannis Antetokounmpo.

During an appearance on the Bill Simmons Podcast (h/t ESPN ), Rivers gave his assessment of Giannis' game and where he believes the two-time NBA MVP and 2021 Finals MVP needs to improve.

"I liked Giannis a lot. I liked him more as a dude," Rivers said. "He's interesting. He's not easy. He's not easy because he plays at this crazy downhill pace. He's really a difficult guy. ... He has this great passing ability, but he doesn't necessarily have this super IQ at the same time. It's really a strange thing, and he really has one way: downhill, force, force. Every play, he wants to force it.

"I wish he learned how to execute better. He's one of those guys ... that have never needed to execute because they can do it on their own. But that doesn't help the team. And I told Giannis this, the thing he needs to still learn is the value of execution. How important it is when you're in practice and shoot-arounds to lock in on execution. And now he has a coach [Erik Spoelstra] who is as good as there is in execution."

Before Rivers took over as the Bucks' head coach in the middle of the 2023-24 season, Milwaukee had made seven consecutive playoff appearances and advanced past the first round on four occasions.

That included Antetokounmpo leading the Bucks to their first NBA championship since 1971 at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season.

With Rivers at the helm, the Bucks suffered back-to-back first-round exits, and then missed the playoffs with a 32-50 record last season, leading to his dismissal.

Giannis was injured for much of last season, and his future with the Bucks organization dominated headlines, as he was the subject of constant trade rumors.

Milwaukee finally moved on this past offseason, sending Giannis and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis and four draft picks.

Regarding the months leading up to the trade, Rivers expressed his belief that Antetokounmpo "wanted out," but "didn't want to be the bad guy" by formally requesting a trade.

The trade ultimately came to fruition anyway, and it hasn't really paid dividends for either team thus far.

With Giannis leading the way, the Heat are off to a disappointing 3-6 start, while the Bucks are tied at the bottom of the NBA standings with a 1-7 mark.