At 10-5 on the season, the Milwaukee Bucks have experienced some intense growing pains to begin the Giannis Antetokounmpo/Damian Lillard era. But even with the stars still actively figuring things out, Lillard hasn’t lost any confidence in the Bucks’ potential. In a recent chat with the media, Dame opened up on his tenure so far and why he expects things to trend upward over the next few months.
“We’re still learning each other,” Lillard told ESPN. “If it would’ve been flipped and him coming to Portland to play with me, I would’ve already been comfortable because I’ve been here. He would have been trying to adapt and get comfortable and figure out how he fits in and maybe would have been a bit more passive in trying to learn the way. That’s me right now.”
The Giannis and Lillard pairing is ideal on paper and experts have been highly intrigued by the duo since their debut together earlier this season. On the court, the two have been slow to mesh, and we’re just now seeing them develop some chemistry after a few weeks of action together. As of the time of writing, the jury is still out on how good this Bucks team is, and if they have enough to surpass the likes of Boston and Philadelphia in the East.
Coming off the best season of his career in Portland, Damian Lillard was expected to elevate the Bucks to new heights in the East. Instead, he’s been somewhat sluggish in the early going, averaging just 24.8 points, 6.2 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game on a career-low 40.2% shooting from the field. Lillard’s worst game so far was in a loss against the Hawks on October 29th, when he finished with just 6 points and 5 assists on 16% shooting.
For Lillard, these types of struggles are to be expected when you’re changing teas for the very first time. After over a decade of being “the man” for the Portland Trail Blazers, Lillard is having to learn how to adjust on the fly to playing with a superstar the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, and it may be the first time in his life that he isn’t the best player on his team. While it’s still too early to say that Lillard cannot improve his play in Milwaukee, the pressure is certainly building for him to return to the MVP-like form we saw in a Blazers uniform last season.
The Bucks Are A Wildcard In The East
With all eyes on Boston, Philadelphia, and Miami, the Bucks are quietly showing some signs of life after a slow start. At 7-3 in their last 10 games, Milwaukee is showing that they can hang with the best in the league and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s play so far has all of the experts second-guessing their MVP projections.
The Bucks, currently ranked third in the East, are expected to be a big player in April, May, and June, but there are still a lot of unanswered concerns about their ability to compete with the best. The Bucks are still trying to find their defensive identity in the wake of Jrue Holiday’s departure, and head coach Adrian Griffin has already had multiple meetings with his players this year. Nevertheless, the Bucks are a formidable opponent when they perform at their peak, and if Damian Lillard can find his groove late in games, it might be all the team needs to make a significant push this season. If not, there will be more opportunities for it to succeed.