Milwaukee Bucks floor general Michael Carter-Williams is in the country to celebrate the annual NBA 3x weekend.
The 24-year-old shared that he had only heard about how passionate the Filipino fans are with the game of basketball but was in awe when he experienced it firsthand, Thursday morning at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall in Pasay City.
“They said that there are a lot of fans here and that they love the game,” the Milwaukee Buck shared.
However, it was visible that Carter-Williams has the NBA season in mind. Last season, the 6’6″ guard out of Syracuse posted career-lows of 11.5 points and 5.2 assists per outing. Moreover, he has been battling converted guard Giannis Antetokounmpo for minutes, starting just 34 games in 54 outings.
Still, he remains optimistic with the Bucks’ chances this season after finishing with a 33-49 slate in a stacked Eastern Conference.
“I think that we are going to be better than last year,” he said. “We are going to go out there and play hard and do the little things out there to just win games.”
Even with the new pieces his team has, the 2014 Rookie of the Year is focusing on improving his game first before worrying about anything else beyond his control.
“Personally, I’ll focus on my game first and getting healthy,” he added.
“There’s probably a lot of conversations going around but I’ll just be ready for anything.”
He is planning to share the struggles he had faced in his tough NBA journey with the Filipino youth all throughout the weekend.
“Just go out there and give it your all every time you step on the court,” he said as a message to the future generation of Filipino basketball players.
“Work on your game, think positive and do all the right things.”
