Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Giannis Antetokounmpo recently admitted that things could take time to mesh with his new teammate, Damian Lillard. So far, in their short time together, the early signs are looking good for their success, and the chemistry between the stars couldn’t be better.
“He’s so quiet, doesn’t say much,” said Giannis on Lillard. “He’s like a little version of me, a guard version. Quiet, goes about his business, takes care of his family, shows up, and practices really hard. When he needs to be vocal, he’s vocal.”
Besides the All-Star game, Giannis and Lillard had no experience together, but they are going to have to learn quickly with the new season almost underway. Fortunately, the pair seems like the perfect fit together and their similar passions for winning should help take the Bucks to new heights in the East. At the very least, the new-look Bucks are poised to be a major threat for years to come.
Damian Lillard Is Not Used To Playing Second-Fiddle
In Portland, Damian Lillard was the man in charge and nobody had a doubt that he was running the show both on the court and in the locker room. That responsibility came with certain luxuries he knew he couldn’t find anywhere else. With the Bucks, while Dame will be treated like royalty, it’s unlikely he’ll have the same degree of power he did with the Blazers, who practically owed everything to the former 6th overall pick.
Needless to say, doubts are beginning to surface about the new superstar duo and how they can handle playing together. But until we know for sure how the Bucks will perform, there’s no reason to think they won’t find success together at some point. And for a guy in Lillard who is pretty humble and easygoing, it really should be no problem for him to adapt his game and take on a different role at this stage of his career.
Bucks Could Win The East
With the Celtics, 76ers, Heat, Cavaliers, and Nets, the East is projected to be pretty stacked this season and it’s going to be tough for Milwaukee to beat their record from last season, which was an NBA-best 58-24. The key for the Bucks will be keeping their defensive identity, which took a big blow after the loss of Jrue Holiday. For years, defense was the bread and butter for this team, but with Dame in place for Holiday, it’s going to be inevitable that the Bucks fall back in that area.
Nevertheless, we saw what Giannis was able to do with Jrue, Khris Middleton, and Lopez on his team. With a true superstar like Lillard to create plays and space the floor, a whole new world could open up for Giannis and the Bucks. Only time will tell how long it takes to unlock their potential, but the signs are looking pretty good so far in the aftermath of the pair dropping a combined 30 points in just 20 minutes of action on Sunday.
Lillard, who had his best season yet in 2022-23, has his best chance to win a ring since rejoining the NBA and there’s no doubt that he’s ready to embrace whatever comes next. With career averages of 25.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game, the 11-year veteran will no doubt make an impact for Milwaukee and it very well may be enough to put them over the top.
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