MILWAUKEE (SPECTRUM NEWS) — Two Milwaukee Bucks backcourt players are not practicing with the team in Orlando, Fla. because of positive COVID-19 tests.
On Monday, Pat Connaughton said he had tested positive for the coronavirus but feels great and hopes to join the team soon.
We already knew that Eric Bledsoe isn't with the team. Bledsoe's absence makes George Hill the man at point guard for now. Many of Hill's thoughts are with Bledsoe, who just arrived in Orlando. He has to quarantine for two days before joining the team.
“I mean, you start to feel a little sad, but at the same time just reaching out, making sure him and his family is safe,” Hill said. “We know this virus has taken many people. We know this virus is nothing to play with, so just being that supports that backbone to give him an uplift. Make sure his family is safe and sound, he's safe and sound, and let him figure out the rest.”
Hill is committed to social justice, including marching in his native Indianapolis. His mind is sharply focused on Orlando.
“My mind is just to win championships, you know, that's the reason why we're here. We're here to finish the season. Finish what we started. So you know, I have a job to do,” he explained. “I'm here to support my teammates, by any means, but at the same time, you can't forget what's going on in the world with all the social injustice, racism and things like that. So I'm just trying to keep that alive, making sure that that's not swept underneath the rug while we're playing this game that we're so blessed to play.”
For Hill, the Orlando bubble underscores his commitment to family.
“We're pretty much just isolated away from the world right now and we have to focus on basketball, so it's pretty easy just to focus on that because that's all there is here to do,” he said. “But at the same time, you know being with your family for the last four months during this pandemic, getting to spend that quality time that not any of our players who’s actually in the NBA still gets to do. So after being there with them every day, not to be there with them every day now is really tough.”
Hill said the Bucks' strong depth will serve them well during this NBA restart. You could say it already has.