Giannis against load management: 'If I don't get my work in, I don't feel good'

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer has attempted to talk Giannis Antetokounmpo into sitting out a game or staying away from the team's practice facility for a day in order to preserve the superstar for a potential championship run.

But the concept of taking a day off just doesn't sit right with Antetokounmpo.

"If I don’t get my work in, I don’t feel good," Antetokounmpo told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. "Like Michael Jordan said, hard work eliminates fear. If you don't harvest your technique, you don't feel good. You're not getting a rhythm."

Antetokounmpo has appeared in all eight Bucks games, including Wednesday's win over the Los Angeles Clippers, who were without Kawhi Leonard due to load management.

While the reigning NBA MVP has yet to be held out of a matchup this season, Antetokounmpo's playing time has remained consistent since Budenholzer was hired ahead of the 2018-19 season.

The 24-year-old is averaging 32.7 minutes - an approximate three-to-four minute decrease from Budenholzer's predecessor Jason Kidd - over the past year and change.

"Giannis is so competitive," Budenholzer said. "He wants to be on the court all the time. But I think after a year together and fairly early in the season last year, he started to appreciate just how important his body is and how important his health is.

"There’s a big picture and we want to be playing deep into the playoffs and we need him to be fresh and healthy. For the most part, he's done a nice job at trusting the coaching staff and we'll hopefully put him in great positions to be great when he plays and give him a little bit of time off to take care of himself."

Antetokounmpo has opened the 2019-20 campaign on a torrid pace, becoming the first player in NBA history with 200 points, 100 rebounds, and 50 assists over the first eight games of a season, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

He's averaging 29.0 points, 14.3 boards, 7.6 assists, and 1.6 blocks.

Milwaukee sits second in the Eastern Conference with a 6-2 record.