Damian Lillard had had a rough debut season with the Milwaukee Bucks but may be turning a corner. He dominated at the NBA All-Star Weekend, winning the three-point contest and All-Star Game MVP, proving he’s still among the NBA’s elite players.
When asked about creating a dream starting five during the All-Star Weekend, Lillard named four of the league’s best players alongside him, ignoring his current teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“It’d be me, LeBron, Steph, Kevin Durant, and I’ll go with Bam Adebayo.”
Damian Lillard reveals his dream starting 5 👀
🔹 Damian LIllard
🔹 Steph Curry
🔹 LeBron James
🔹 Kevin Durant
🔹 Bam Adebayo
Thoughts? 🤔
(via nelsontheprodigy_/TT)pic.twitter.com/CEf6MgZ6Xy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 20, 2024
Lillard’s team seems skewed towards players he admires or enjoys being alongside as compared to a list purely based on talent. He doesn’t need to name Giannis in a dream starting five when he’s already actively playing alongside him. The players he named are extremely significant as well.
He included the three faces of the modern era, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. Naturally, any player who’s grown up watching these players play and then compete against them for over a decade will want them by his side in a dream starting five. This leaves just one open spot on the roster, which Lillard gave to one of his close personal friends Bam Adebayo.
Lillard and Adebayo are also Olympic Gold-winning teammates alongside Durant, so this is an understandable bias. Giannis’ fans can feel like Dame is slighting the former Finals MVP, but this is simply a good list based on who Dame would want next to him. He already plays with Giannis, so reading into this is a little excessive.
Giannis Antetokounmpo And Damian Lillard Are Aiming For A Title
Dream starting fives are fun to talk about during All-Star Weekend, but the league will be back in action on Thursday as everyone dashes for the postseason. The Bucks are 35-21 this season but have gone 3-7 in their last 10 games. They were keeping pace with the Celtics for the No. 1 seed but will likely be in a battle to retain homecourt advantage as a top-four seed.
Giannis and Lillard have had a great relationship so far, with Giannis continuing to trust in Lillard and defer to him in big moments despite Dame’s inconsistency this year. He’s averaging 24.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.7 assists on 42.3% from the field and 34.1% from three. This production won’t lead to success for the Bucks, but the franchise is motivated to make the most of this year.
Giannis is already looking forward to championship success with Lillard by his side, joking about the pair dropping a song if they manage to become champions.
“I’ve said this a lot of times: if we, not if, when we win a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks, I’m going to drop a song with name, you know, but it’s going to be my future.”
The Bucks have encountered various issues since Doc Rivers took over as head coach. While the team’s defense has improved after being among the worst to start the season, the offense has seemingly fallen off a cliff. Giannis is still dominating but Lillard and others have been wracked with inconsistency that’s hurting the franchise.
Hopefully, they can put it together over the last two months of the season, as finding good form during this stretch can make or break a season for a team.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
