Giannis Antetokounmpo changes tone on Doc Rivers days after publicly shading Bucks' coaching staff

It has been a less-than-ideal start for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. They were back in the win column after beating the Utah Jazz on Thursday by 23 (123-100).

However, they could not sustain the momentum from that win as they dropped to 2-7 after losing by 22 (116-94) to the New York Knicks on Friday.

Coach Doc Rivers has been heavily scrutinized for the Bucks' slow start but Giannis is standing by him. During the postgame media availability following the conclusion of the Bucks-Knicks game, the two-time MVP praised his coach for making adjustments.

Giannis then placed the pressure on the players to execute on Rivers' gameplan.

"Doc (Rivers) is doing his best, he's trying," Giannis said. "He's trying to figure out the rotation, he's giving us the best speech possible. Changing our defensive plan, changing our offensive plan. He's trying to adjust, make something happen, create a spark. You know I give him props on that."

After praising his coach for the adjustments he's making, Giannis said that it's on the players to execute.

"At the end of the day, the guys that play, we gotta go out there and compete," Giannis added. (Doc Rivers) cannot compete from the sideline for us. He can put us in the best position possible but we got to go out there and compete." (5:23-5:55)

Giannis Antetokounmpo's comment to the media following their loss to the Knicks is quite a contrast to what he said previously.

On Oct. 27, they dropped to 1-2 after losing to the Brooklyn Nets. Giannis appeared to throw a subtle jab at the Bucks' coaches, claiming that the team did not have a clear identity.

Giannis questioned whether they should be defense-oriented, if they should be pushing the pace or slowing it down. The Greek Freak emphasized that they need to find that identity if they hope to win. (1:04-1:31).

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Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have stood out for the Bucks amidst their struggles

Despite their rough start, the Milwaukee Bucks do have some bright spots, and that is the performance of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

Through the Bucks' first nine games, Lillard has been leading the team in assists with 6.7 per game. Aside from his playmaking, he has also been a scoring machine, having put up 27.3 points, which is the second highest on the team.

Giannis has also been stellar for the Bucks as he's averaged a double-double thus far. He is leading the team in scoring with 30.1 ppg and is also the top rebounder with 12.8 boards per game. Giannis is also the second-best playmaker on the team right now with 5.3 apg.

After Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, Bobby Portis has the third-highest scoring average with 12.2 per game. No other player is averaging double-figures. Guard Khris Middleton is yet to debut for the Bucks this year due to an ankle injury.