It goes without saying that landing star guard Damian Lillard raises the stakes for the Bucks, who, with a pair of 30-point-per-game scorers, arguably boast the NBA’s most potent 1-2 punch.
But acknowledging that is different from saying the trade alone guarantees a smooth ride, particularly early on. This new-look Milwaukee club, which features a new coach in Adrian Griffin and two new starters, may take time to figure out how to implement a handful of things.
Of course, the biggest shift—Lillard supercharging the offense alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo—may not take all that long. Sunday night, after the duo’s first exhibition game together, both men said there was an immediate comfort in playing next to each other. “First couple plays, they blitz me, they trap me, and the guy that I’m releasing the ball to is Giannis,” Lillard said of the Lakers’ defensive scheme. “So I’m like, ‘Uh, we can do this all night.’ You know what I mean?”
