Eric Nehm covers the Bucks and Brewers for ESPN Milwaukee.

MILWAUKEE -- Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks had a chance to beat the San Antonio Spurs earlier this week, but a Mirza Teletovic three rimmed out in the closing seconds. Antetokounmpo created that open look through ... well, let him explain it.

“I’m going to go to my go-to move -- the spin,” Antetokounmpo said after the game. “I spun right. I saw Kawhi Leonard. I was about to spin back, I saw Kawhi Leonard coming. So, I knew I had to give away the ball. Delly [Matthew Dellavedova] was wide open. Delly did the right thing and gave the extra pass. I thought we had the game, but we missed. It was the right play.”

Taking a second look at the play reveals that Antetokounmpo described the play nearly perfectly from memory, except for a minor detail: Veteran Spurs guard Manu Ginobili knew the spin move was coming. He made the right play shading Antetokounmpo to the sideline (and his help defenders) and then set up for a charge when Antetokounmpo made the spin move back to the middle.

Future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett stopped by Bucks practice on Tuesday afternoon and he made it abundantly clear that Ginobili was not the only person to notice Antetokounmpo’s predilection for his spin move.

“He just told me to create a counter move and just trust my work ethic,” Antetokounmpo said of Garnett’s advice. “He mentioned a shimmy. You gotta react to the defender. If the defender goes the other way, you gotta go through. Basically, telling me to create counters to the spin move.”

Considering Bucks coach Jason Kidd talked about the need for Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker to avoid turnovers in late game situations earlier this week, he had to be pleased with the tutelage Antetokounmpo received from his friend and NBA great Garnett.

“Giannis taking the time to listen to KG, that just shows how much he wants to get better,” Kidd said. “To be able to talk about it, that’s what the great players do. Add to their game. When they can counter something -- one of their moves -- it just shows their growth.”

It certainly appeared as though Antetokounmpo tried to take in everything that he could from the 15-time NBA All-Star on Tuesday. After practice wrapped up, Antetokounmpo listened intently and asked Garnett questions as he broke down the ways Antetokounmpo could improve and counter his spin move. The session included Bucks injured guard Khris Middleton and went on for half an hour as the players took in advice from Garnett and walked through different scenarios with the NBA legend.

“Just little stuff,” Giannis said of what Garnett was able to tell him. “Just little stuff. He’s one of the best people that ever have done this. He was the MVP of the league, so, for one year, he was the best player. For him coming and spending some time with us, it’s a great feeling.”

For the rest of the league, Garnett tutoring Antetokounmpo might be a scary thought because Antetokounmpo hasn’t exactly struggled thus far this season and he’s already seen some of the league’s best perimeter defenders.

A quick look at how Antetokounmpo has fared against some of the league’s toughest wing defenders:

• Against Charlotte (Nicolas Batum): 31 points, nine rebounds, five assists, block, steal.

• Against Indiana (Paul George): 27 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks.

• Against Golden State (Kevin Durant/Klay Thompson/Draymond Green): 30 points, six assists, four rebounds, two steals, block.

• Against Cleveland (LeBron James): 34 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, five steals, two blocks.

• Against San Antonio (Kawhi Leonard): 22 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, block.

“To be honest with you, I don’t even think about it,” Antetokounmpo said, of going against a number of the league’s best perimeter defenders. “I know they’re really good players and they can do a lot of things on the court, but I like it. I like every moment of going against those matchups. I really enjoy it because they bring the best out of me.”

Antetokounmpo mentioned how throughout the day Garnett talked repeatedly -- “over 200 times” -- about a “warrior mentality” on the court, which gives you a pretty impressive package when you add it all up. The rest of the NBA now has to deal with a 6-11 point guard already putting up All-NBA numbers and performing well against the league’s best players adding a greater focus on his “warrior mentality” and working on counter moves for his spin move that has already proven very difficult to stop.

In short, good luck.