Myles Turner is supposed to be the second best player in the Milwaukee Bucks line up this season but they are not getting that much from him. His current stats are worse than almost every category there is compared to the season before.
Something’s different on Monday when he put up 23 points and 6 rebounds to help his team win over the Charlotte Hornets. He has reached the 20-point mark just four times so far and recorded double digit rebounding only twice.
What changed? The return of Giannis Antetokounmpo to the line up. Rivers find it funny that Turner, who they are paying $108.9 million for four seasons, plays well mostly when the Greek Freak is there.
“Obviously, Giannis and Myles had a big game. It’s funny. When Giannis shows up, Myles plays better,” Rivers said when asked about his team’s performance in the win.
“It’s not a coincidence. But I thought Gary Harris and Bobby Portis off the bench were absolutely phenomenal for us tonight.”
Doc had high praise for several Bucks tonight:
“Obviously, Giannis and Myles had a big game. It’s funny. When Giannis shows up, Myles plays better. It’s not a coincidence. But I thought Gary Harris and Bobby Portis off the bench were absolutely phenomenal for us tonight.” pic.twitter.com/uBlR1Znq1B
— Bucks Lead (@BucksLead) December 30, 2025
Giannis this year is what Tyrese Haliburton was to Myles Turner for many years. Myles thrives next to a star player. I expect his game to elevate as long as Giannis stays healthy. pic.twitter.com/irP1nn7Cwe
— MylesHighClub (@MylesHighClub3) December 30, 2025
Antetokounmpo is playing his second game after missing the last three weeks. He finished with 24 points, four assists, and seven rebounds.
Myles Turner says focus as improved
Rivers during pre-season talked about his plan about his big men and how the four of them, including Jericho Sims, will take care of things for them.
It finally showed against the Hornets as Giannis, Turner, and Portis combined for 72 points.
Turner thinks they are more focused now compared to before.
“We can’t necessarily kid ourselves – I think that it’s good that we won a couple in a row but we can’t be complacent,” he said.
“You gotta start from somewhere obviously so we’re tracking towards it. I think we did a much better job defensively tonight. We came in at halftime, made great adjustments. I think that overall the focus level has been up the past couple of games. Obviously having Giannis back helps a lot of different stuff but I think our focus has been in a good space.”
Next for them to focus on are the Washington Wizards who beat them the last time they met.
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