For the first time since early May, Doc Rivers & co. face the press
We are getting very, very close to NBA basketball! On Sunday, the Bucks will kick off their preseason in Detroit, and this week will conduct training camp all the way out in Southern California at UC-Irvine. But before that, it’s Media Day bright and early on Monday morning at Fiserv Forum.
As was the case in previous years, Brew Hoop will be on site for the amassed interviews, beginning at 8:30 AM Central. First up will be remarks from Bucks owner and current governor Wes Edens. Following him will be GM Jon Horst and head coach Doc Rivers. After that, all players will be available, including the Bucks’ newest additions.
The interviews are streaming at http://www.bucks.com/live. Jackson Gross and I are the boots on the ground in Milwaukee, and we’ll be bringing you content the rest of this morning and afternoon both here and on Twitter/X. You can follow me @lohausfan and Jackson @JGrossBucks, where we’ll be live-tweeting any notable quotes or video before it gets up here on the site. We’ll also embed some of those tweets in this post as something of a running thread, as well as bringing you longer pieces with takeaways from specific interviews.
Get excited, folks. The 2024–25 NBA season is nearly here.
First and foremost, Doc gave us an update on the plan for Khris Middleton—at least in the short-term—on the heels of recent news that he’s not cleared for five-on-five action yet:
Doc Rivers says that Khris Middleton won’t do much live-action work, but will do skeleton work in transition defense.
A plan has yet to be set for the regular season.#Bucks
— Jackson Gross (@JGrossBucks) September 30, 2024
Doc on the plan for Middleton: “During the season we haven’t decided yet… He’ll participate in camp. We won’t have him doing live work, but he’ll be on the floor with us… He looks great. He’s in the gym right now as we speak… He feels great.”
— Van Fayaz (@lohausfan) September 30, 2024
Beyond that, Doc said that no other players will be limited in camp, and Horst nodded in agreement.
When asked if anyone besides Middleton will be limited in camp, Doc answered no. That would seem to indicate that Andre Jackson Jr. is ready to go after offseason wrist surgery.
— Van Fayaz (@lohausfan) September 30, 2024
Horst later chimed in to assure us of Middleton’s status:
Horst also emphasized that Middleton had a “normal offseason” and that the procedures on his ankles were cleanups.
— Van Fayaz (@lohausfan) September 30, 2024
A somewhat interesting tidbit about MarJon Beauchamp from Horst at the tail end of his availability:
Horst did not give a firm answer either way when asked about Beauchamp’s fourth-year team option, which is due on October 31st.
— Van Fayaz (@lohausfan) September 30, 2024
Doc also brought up what went into bringing Darvin Ham back to Milwaukee:
Doc on Darvin Ham:
“He has a connection and he’s a damn good coach. He led his team to the Western Conference Finals and an In-Season Tournament and he got fired for that.
Darvin was leaning to not working this year, but I told him he would be a Buck.”#Bucks
— Jackson Gross (@JGrossBucks) September 30, 2024
Doc was asked about how his connection with Damian Lillard has grown over the off-season and said they have talked extensively over the phone and in person. He also said he hopes to make Lillard as comfortable as possible:
Doc on his connection with Dame:
“(The drive) for me is to make him as comfortable as possible, because we know what it looks like when he is.” #Bucks #FearTheDeer
— Jackson Gross (@JGrossBucks) September 30, 2024
The first player interview this morning is Taurean Prince. As you might guess, he was asked about the connection between Darvin Ham’s return to the Milwaukee bench and him signing, after their year together in LA:
Prince confirmed that Darvin Ham’s hire in June did play a part in his decision to sign with the Bucks in July.
— Van Fayaz (@lohausfan) September 30, 2024
He also told us about how’s conceptualizing his three-and-D role with the team:
How he can help the Bucks defense:
“Its just part of my DNA. Effort is a non negotiable for me. I bring length, an IQ, being annoying to guys to let them know its not gonna be easy. Defense is a mindset so I bring that every day” https://t.co/AaoIy5e20r— Justin García | @justinagarcia.bsky.social (@JustinGarciaNBA) September 30, 2024
Brook Lopez followed. As usual, he was good for a few jokes:
Brook Lopez on not playing on Christmas
The only reason I knew, was my wife telling me ‘It will be great, it’s Julian’s first Christmas and you’ll be home’ and I was like ‘oh are we playing at home?'”
Only Brook #Bucks #FearTheDeer
— Jackson Gross (@JGrossBucks) September 30, 2024
Brook on not playing on Christmas (paraphrasing here): “I can have Robin over and we can sneak to the Christmas tree at 4am and open the presents like we used to”
— Van Fayaz (@lohausfan) September 30, 2024
He even discussed his free agency next summer, with a smile on his face:
On his free agency next summer:
“It is what it is. Its the business of the league. I’m so happy here, its the best situation for me and the team. I’m gonna keep doing what I do and it will handle itself the way it should” https://t.co/AejajF4EYi— Justin García | @justinagarcia.bsky.social (@JustinGarciaNBA) September 30, 2024
We’ll continue this in part two, including quotes from Giannis and Dame.