Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t strike as someone who’d be difficult to play alongside as a teammate, mainly because of his ever-positive attitude in the media. However, a former teammate of his recently put that label on him. Star athletes are often labelled as ‘tough to play with.’ In most cases, it’s their ego that becomes a problem for the team.
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But in the case of Giannis, it’s a different story. While speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio, John Henson stated that the Greek Freak is tough to play with. He revealed how he has butted heads with Khris Middleton in the past.
Henson wasn’t coming from a negative place. He was outlining Giannis’ unique style of playing that often becomes a problem for the players around him. He said, “That’s the biggest issue I think with him right now, trusting your teammates.” Henson praised Giannis as a ‘great player,’ but he wants him to work on his trust issues.
“Giannis is tough to play with. Khris had to figure it out…they butted heads, eventually came to an understanding. Giannis came to respect where he thinks that, okay, I can trust this guy,” Henson said. Now, Giannis and Middleton have a great personal relationship and were great teammates too, but it didn’t start the same way.
"Giannis is tough to play with… Khris {Middleton} had to figure it out, they butted heads"
🔊 John Henson breaks down what could be the issue with the #Bucks as he talks with @WorldWideWob and Ryan McDonough pic.twitter.com/LsIb9kx0rH
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) April 25, 2025
Henson believes that Jrue Holiday also managed to convince Giannis that he is reliable, but the Bucks need a “third guy” in this equation. Since the two people Giannis trusted have left the franchise, Giannis needs to figure out whom he can trust from the current roster.
Earlier this year, when Middleton was traded to the Wizards, Giannis was having a tough time coming to terms with it. He expressed his disappointment over the trade while talking to the reporters. Giannis said, “I’ve played a game with Khris not physically in the arena, but just thinking he’s not on the roster, he’s not on the team no more, it was definitely a weird feeling for me because I’ve never played an NBA game without Khris being on the roster.”
There’s a lot of talent on the Bucks roster. Damian Lillard, Kyle Kuzma, Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis Jr., etc. This should make Giannis’ job easy. He probably just needs a little more time around these players to be totally comfortable around them. Having a good relationship with his teammates on and off the court might help him in this process.
