Stephen A Smith Fires Back After Doc Rivers Calls Giannis "Difficult" To Coach

Stephen A Smith slams Doc Rivers' comments on Giannis Antetokounmpo© Instagram/ Stephenasmith, Instagram/ docrivers and Instagram/ Giannis_an34

Doc Rivers recently called out Giannis Antetokounmpo. During his appearance on the Bill Simmons Podcast, the Milwaukee Bucks coach stated that Giannis was difficult to coach. The comment received heat from legends across the league, including the sports analyst Stephen A. Smith. Stephen fired back at the coach's comment on the Stephen A. Smith Show. He spent almost 3 minutes analysing Giannis' capabilities and asking Rivers to be careful with whatever he says.

Stephen A. Smith Backs Up Giannis Antetokounmpo

Stephen A. Smith has never been shy about his opinions. He holds certain players in high regards and Giannis is one of them. During the Stephen A. Smith Show, he challenged the statement by Rivers. Stephen stated, “Giannis might not take that well. A healthy Giannis is one of the top 5 players on planet Earth — that's how I view him.” He further added, “I don't view Giannis as somebody who's lacking basketball IQ. He knows what his strengths are. I view Giannis as a killa and somebody who will humble your soul. You can't mess with Giannis.”

Stephen analysed Giannis' on-court thought process. He continued, “he doesn't care what anybody thinks. He can average 30/12 in his sleep. if you're Doc Rivers — you gotta watch yourself a little bit. Here's the thing I love the most about Giannis — he's not trying to be anybody's friend; he's not trying to get along. Giannis wants to take your soul.”

Stephen explained how Giannis understands his opponents and uses all the advantages that he can get to secure a win. According to the analyst, Giannis is not easy to defeat.

What Doc Rivers Said About Giannis

The controversial statement about Giannis was made in the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast. Doc Rivers stated, “Giannis wanted out, but he was a Buck. And he didn't want to be the bad guy. He wanted management and those guys to say, 'We're trading you,' instead of him asking for a trade. To me, that was the game that was being played.”

Rivers questioned Giannis' leadership abilities while explaining the contentious relationship between the player and the Milwaukee Bucks. He added, “Giannis needed to just give himself to the team, not to anyone else. I liked Giannis a lot. I liked him more as a dude. 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." Rivers continued, “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.