Speaking plainly in a chat on The Athletic, Giannis Antetokounmpo conceded control of the Bucks to his newest All-Star teammate. According to Giannis, the Bucks are Dame’s team now and they are going to follow him as far as he takes them.
“I am his biggest fan,” Antetokounmpo said. “Good or bad, I ride with Dame until the f—ing end. I ride with Dame. Like I’ve been saying this over and over again. This. Is. His. Team. Down the stretch, he’s going to get the ball. There’s nothing else that we will do. I don’t know how else to put it. I don’t know what else to say. But at the end of the day, he has to believe it too.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo has embraced Damian Lillard since the first day the trade went down. While Dame’s arrival came at the expense of Jrue Holiday and multiple picks, his status as a multiple-time All-Star, top 75 player, and one of the greatest shooters ever convinced the Bucks to go all-in for him this past September. Unfortunately, they didn’t come together under the best of circumstances.
For Lillard, he’s enduring this change of scenery as his family falls apart. He’s admitted himself already that his divorce is making things difficult in his personal life and the fact that his young children are mixed up in it all only complicates matters further. After 11 years with the Trail Blazers, things have changed a lot for Lillard (on and off the court) in such a short amount of time.
Of course, we already know how the Bucks entered the 2023 offseason. Fresh off a shocking upset at the hands of the 8-seeded Heat, the Bucks were humbled and embarrassed to the point where they felt like change was the only solution. Sadly, things have only gotten worse since Lillard’s arrival.
What’s Wrong With The Milwaukee Bucks?
While the Bucks’ record isn’t cause for alarm, it’s been nothing but chaos for them since day one of the season. It started with the departure of Terry Stotts, who left days before the season, without warning, despite years of experience working with Damian Lillard. Not long into the season, the Bucks held a private team meeting to change the game plan, essentially forcing Adrian Griffin to adapt Mike Budenholzer’s defensive style.
Eventually, even Giannis himself began to show some mistrust in the coaching staff and that was really the final straw for Adrian Griffin’s tenure. The Bucks soon began their search for a new coach and eventually settled on the longtime coaching veteran, Doc Rivers. No matter your feelings on Rivers or Giannis, those conditions are hard for anyone to keep up with and the Bucks star was open about how it has affected his team’s focus.
As the newest arrival and the fresh face in town, Damian Lillard is still somewhat getting it easy on the Bucks but the noise will get louder if these struggles continue into the playoffs. Currently ranked 17th in defense efficiency, the key to success for this Bucks team is on the defensive end, where they hope guys like Giannis, Brook Lopez, and newcomer Patrick Beverley can help establish an identity going into the postseason.
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