And now we get to the player takeaways from Media Day. If you didn’t catch my first article detailing the responses from Wes Edens, Jon Horst, and Taylor Jenkins, go check that out. Now, obviously it’s not practical to cover every player on the team, but I did my best to cover the most notable players, quotes, and tidbits, so here they are!
Myles Turner
Myles Turner was the first player to front the media. Turner’s opening question was about why he decided to organise a team minicamp in his home state of Texas.
“With having so many new players, I wanted to get everybody together and wanted everybody to have some fun,” Turner said. “A lot of guys had never been to Austin before. I’m Texas through and through; I just wanted to show off the city a bit.
“The camaraderie was great, and everybody showed up, so that’s one thing that I was really proud of. It just gave us a little extra time to get to know each other.”
Changing the topic, Turner was then asked how he defines himself as a leader on this young team. The 11-year vet emphasised that he understands the position he’s in and wants to set the right example for the younger players.
Regarding media expectations, Turner wasn’t interested in outside narratives, saying, “The only expectations are the ones we put on ourselves.”
“Just like everybody else, we want to win. But it’s one thing to want to win; it’s another thing to do the things that are required to win, and I think that’s more where our attention goes this year.”
Tyler Herro
Understandably, Herro had the longest presser out of all the players, but he answered each question with a lot of respect and grace, I thought. His first question centred around what’s changed about Milwaukee for him since he was drafted.
“When I grew up here, I spent a lot of time in the suburbs, not really downtown, and so I’ve obviously seen how much the city has grown since I’ve been gone for the last eight or nine years,” Herro said. “It’s a beautiful city; I love being here, and I’m excited to start a new era of basketball. The organisation is amazing… Just how they’ve welcomed me with open arms—I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
Herro was asked whether the Heat players getting traded for Giannis meant they viewed themselves as “replacing” him, a notion he flatly dismissed.
Herro on what he feels his role will be on a new team, and whether there’s any trepidation:
“I feel like we’re all new. Taylor’s new; he’s got a brand-new coaching staff. The guys who came in the trade with me are new. We’ve got two or three rookies. Everybody’s here, and we’re all doing it together. It doesn’t really feel like I’m coming into somewhere where they’re not welcoming me with open arms… It feels like this is where I’m supposed to be”
One answer I really enjoyed was how Herro responded to a question about his goals for the season: “I don’t have any individual goals.”
“I feel like everything is around the group. When people try to write everyone off, especially after the trade we made, people feel like we’re not going to win games… That’s the opposite of what we’re thinking… We’re trying to win; we’re trying to compete. That’s my main goal: to help lead this team to as many wins as possible.”
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
There weren’t too many interesting notes from Jaquez’s presser, but his answer to a question about how he approaches the prospect of getting a rookie-scale extension done before the season begins was noteworthy:
“I approach it the same way I approach every day: just try to be as professional as I can be. I’m here to work. My contract is the one going into next year; that’s the only one I can really worry about… whatever happens will happen.”
Like Turner and Herro, Jaquez wasn’t fazed that the media doesn’t rate the Bucks very highly.
“I feel like I can keep my expectations pretty consistent no matter where I’m at,” Jaquez said. “The goal is always the same: you want to win as many games as you can and compete for a championship. The media says what they want to say, but what really matters is what the core group of guys believe.”
Brayden Burries and Nate Ament
As you can imagine, interviewing 19- and 20-year-olds never yields the deepest responses, but I thought Burries’ and Ament’s answers to 1) what the vets have taught them so far, and 2) what coach Jenkins has told them will help them get minutes, were both notable.
Burries: “The team that’s the most together is going to win a lot, but also the physicality… It’s a physical league, so just getting my mind and body ready for that.”
Ament: “Yeah, the NBA game is much different from the college game, but also just teaching me about the league… Things you should and shouldn’t do, requirements in your contract, and how to be a professional.”
Burries: “Impact winning outside of scoring. Rebounding, defending, being a great teammate, and being coachable. Even if you’re not playing, still having a positive mindset, and then once you get an opportunity, make the best of it.”
Ament: “Effort plays. We’re the youngest on the team, so giving energy every day, running the floor hard, playing defence—all those types of things.”
Kasparas Jakucionis
“It means a lot”: Jakucionis on what the fresh start means to him.
“I played for the University of Illinois not too long ago, so I’m familiar with the weather here,” the young Lithuanian said to some chuckles around the room. “I’m just excited to be here.”
Jakucionis also opened up on his turbulent offseason, saying that being traded was hard at first, but he soon realised he couldn’t control it, so he put his head down and focused on what he could.
Kel’el Ware
Ware was pretty short (but respectful) in most of his answers. However, I thought his response to a question about how he and his Heat teammates have transitioned to Milwaukee was notable. Ware said he thinks it’s gone smoothly for all four of them, but “the most smoothly” for him, as the Cream City reminded him of his hometown in Arkansas: “It wasn’t like a big change for me.”
Ware was also bullish on how he and Myles Turner could complement each other:
“We’re both bigs who can shoot, play down low, defend, and rebound. So if you have two bigs that are able to do that, that’s what you need.”
Kyle Kuzma
Fittingly, Kuz rounded out the day with a bunch of thoughtful responses, but I thought his best was his answer to how his myriad NBA experiences will help him lead this group.
“This is my 10th year in the NBA, and it’s such a blessing… doing it for a decade, you get to learn a lot about yourself through trials and tribulations… We have some people on this team who have only played for one team in their life, and now they just got traded to a brand-new team—I know how that feels. I know guys who have played a role in a certain system that may be asked to do something else—I’ve done that a lot of different times.
Hilariously, Myles Turner dropped in to ask Kuzma about his skincare routine.
Washing your face, exfoliating, moisturising, and using serums were the four keys, according to Kuz. And on that note, we’re out.
