MILWAUKEE, WI (WSAU) – As the Milwaukee Bucks begin training camp and prepare for their first preseason game on Sunday, Bucks point guard Damian Lillard is weighing in on playing two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The 2023–24 season’s early debates will center largely on how the pair plays together, but Lillard told reporters on Wednesday that he simply wants Antetokounmpo to keep doing what he’s doing.
“I don’t want [Giannis] to not be himself… Don’t worry about me,” Lillard said. “… I said that to him, and he said the same thing to me. ‘Don’t worry about me; just do what you do. Be Dame.’”
Lillard continued: “They’re not going to allow [Giannis] to come downhill and just dunk every time… Which one are you going to do? Are you going to clog up the paint or are you going to allow me to make nine threes?”
For his part, Antetokounmpo is thrilled to play alongside Lillard this year.
“It’s a blessing to have the opportunity to play with a guy like that,” Antetokounmpo told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears. “A guy that is built from the same cloth as you A guy who is a killer He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He’s been good for so many years in the league, dominating the league and having a guy that you can go to war with every single day who wants it as bad as you want. It is always a good feeling.”
There is a lot of debate among fans and media members over whose combo is the greatest in the league, and the Dame-Giannis combination will certainly be at the top of that list this season as they try to win a championship together. At this time, the Bucks are tied with the Boston Celtics at +380 to win the NBA championship this season.
