Bucks’ tandem tabbed as one of best in league
MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to make one thing clear about his partnership with new Milwaukee Bucks teammate Damian Lillard.
Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP, says there’s no debate about which of the superstars will have the ball in his hands more. Antetokounmpo has no trouble handing that responsibility to Lillard. After all, he is a seven-time allnba player in his own right.
“This is in no shape or form any competition with me and him, who’s going to have the ball more,” Antetokounmpo said. “He will have the ball more. And I trust, I believe he’s going to find me. And not just me, he’s going to find our teammates and put us in the right positions.”
Milwaukee’s acquisition of Lillard just before the start of training camp gives the Bucks two members of the NBA’S 75th anniversary team as they try to bounce back from a stunning first-round playoff exit.
Antetokounmpo had said he wanted the Bucks to show their commitment to winning another championship as he ponders whether to sign a contract extension. Lillard sought a trade to a contender after advancing beyond the second round of the playoffs just once in 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers.
This move satisfied both their requests. Now it’s up to the two of them to help deliver on the Bucks’ championship expectations.
First, they must figure out how to play together.
“I think when you’re putting winning first — and that’s the reason I’m here, is to have opportunity to win — I think you’ve got to come into it open-minded and understanding that it might take some sacrifice,” Lillard said. “It usually does if you want to attain anything. I think you’ve got to come in willing to sacrifice.
“And I also know that I’m joining his team, where he’s been and he’s done things a certain way. And I’m also here to enhance it, to bring what I bring so it can be better, so we give ourselves a chance to win.”
Antetokounmpo and Lillard give Milwaukee one of the league’s best tandems — if not the best tandem.
The 28-year-old Antetokounmpo won back-to-back MVP awards in 2019 and 2020 before leading the 2021 Bucks to the franchise’s first title in half a century. Lillard, 33, has averaged at least 24 points each of the last eight seasons and had a career-high 32.2 points per game last year, though a calf strain limited him to 58 games.
They took the floor as teammates for the first time during Sunday’s preseason game at Los Angeles in the Bucks’ 108-97 victory over the Lakers. Antetokounmpo said the impact of Lillard’s presence on the floor was immediately apparent.
“I’ve never seen from the first play of the game, somebody being double-teamed,” Antetokounmpo said. “It was a surprise. It’s a preseason game. It’s not a playoff game. It’s not a regular-season game. It’s not the in-season tournament game. Or a play-in game. It’s a preseason game, you know, and he was double-teamed. It’s insane, man.”
The Bucks paid a heavy price to make this combination a reality.
Part of the package they gave up included two-time All-star guard Jrue Holiday, who ended up with one of their top Eastern Conference rivals after Portland sent him to the Boston Celtics in a separate trade. The Bucks don’t have control over any of their first-round draft picks until 2031.