Giannis Antetokounmpo acknowledged that he is still adjusting to his new beginnings with the Miami Heat.
After playing for the first time as a member of the franchise in the Heat's 128-118 preseason home win against the New Orleans Pelicans, Antetokounmpo made it clear that comfort with a new group around him is still a work in progress.
"I'm a little bit more comfortable, but I'm not there yet," Antetokounmpo told reporters. "I've played with the Bucks 900-plus games, I've played with the Heat two games. So if you do the math, I think it takes a little bit of time for me to be fully comfortable.
"It's basketball, I wanna be aggressive, I've always tried to get to my spot, be aggressive, make sure that I play, play hard. And that won't change, no matter where I am and who's next to me. I just gotta keep on being myself."
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Miami Heat preseason win vs. Pelicans
Giannis Antetokounmpo took the hardwood for the first time while wearing a Miami Heat uniform on Thursday.
Antetokounmpo led the way for the Heat's victory over the New Orleans Pelicans with 18 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the field. He also dropped four boards and four assists across 18 minutes of play.
Antetokounmpo impressed Miami fans with his aggressiveness and drive, often leading the Heat's transition push while showcasing his usual dominance and refined shooting touch.
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Giannis looking forward to build team chemistry with the Heat
Amid personal adjustment in the new environment around him, Giannis Antetokounmpo is also eager to build collective familiarity and chemistry with the Miami Heat.
Following Antetokounmpo's blockbuster acquisition, the Heat have taken a massive retooling and added several other new faces such as Tim Hardaway Jr., Klay Thompson, Bobby Portis, and Nick Richards.
While it's not a bad start for them, the Greek superstar is eyeing a Heat group around him that keeps getting better every day.
"It's growing," Antetokounmpo said, "It's growing obviously with practice. We have practice tomorrow again at 10 AM, 11 AM. We have another game on Saturday. So it's growing, it's heading towards the right direction.
"We have three more preseason games. So we're gonna use those, we're gonna use our practices. We're gonna use game one, game two, all those games. So just keep on getting comfortable, keep on playing with one another".