The Milwaukee Bucks recently defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 118-117. A large part of that was due to Damian Lillard dropping 39 points for the team in his debut. There’s no doubt that the Bucks got the superstar that they wanted to pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and it seems as though Antetokounmpo is already hyped.
After the game, Antetokounmpo shared a photo of himself and Lillard on X (formerly Twitter), stating that this was a great start for the team.
Great start 💪🏾💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/KVKS85ycnx
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) October 27, 2023
There is no doubt that getting a win over some Eastern Conference rivals is a good way to start the season for the Bucks. However, the team cannot get too high after this win, and the goal is obviously still to try and win consistently and end up as one of the best regular season teams in the league.
During the game against the 76ers, Lillard stole the headlines, but Antetokounmpo had a solid enough game. Though he only finished with 23 points, Antetokounmpo’s defense was solid, putting up 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
Damian Lillard And Giannis Antetokounmpo Recruited Each Other
It seems as though Lillard moving to the Bucks was a long time in the making. In fact, Lillard previously revealed that he and Antetokounmpo recruited each other during the 2023 All-Star Game.
“Just the fact I’ve been trying to tell him he should come to my team and he’s been telling me I should come to his, and eventually the stars aligned. It ended up happening in his favor.”
There is no doubt that players frequently talk to one another in the league and try to team up. That is no secret, and it is a smart way of ensuring that one is on a competitive team. It will be interesting to see whether the partnership between Antetokounmpo and Lillard yields a championship, but the duo certainly has the ability to make it happen.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Willing To Sacrifice To Accommodate Damian Lillard
When two dominant superstars team up with one another, there is always the question of who is going to be the primary option on the team. In the Bucks’ case, many expected that to be Antetokounmpo, as he is traditionally considered the better overall player between the two. However, it seems as though Antetokounmpo had other ideas as he recently stated that the Bucks are Lillard’s team.
“Winning, I’m about sacrifice. I’m about putting the work in each day… I might be here, but this is his team. It doesn’t matter what people say.”
It is clear that Antetokounmpo wants to win by any means necessary, even if that means ceding control of the offense to Lillard. That decision could actually make his life easier: Lillard’s gravity on the perimeter is bound to get Antetokounmpo easier looks at the rim and pull some defensive attention off of him.
We will see what Antetokounmpo looks like on the offensive side of the ball with Lillard present. Hopefully, he can still be a dominant player, and we’ll see if he ends up in the MVP discussion this year.
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