Damian Lillard scored the most points in a Bucks debut with 39 points.
The duo of Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo looked very good together as styles complement each other very well. It seemed that the game plan was to get Giannis involved early and Lillard closes out the game in the final moments of the game. So the question was brought by Gilbert Arenas on his podcast, can he win Most Valuable Player while playing with a former winner?
Lillard doesn’t have any of those awards.
Giannis is currently a two-time regular season and one-time Finals MVP and a Defensive Player of the Year winner. Lillard and Giannis are a part of NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Lillard was also the winner of the Bubble Most Valuable Player which a lot of people don’t like to acknowledge but Lillard put up some incredible performances. Now on a new team, Dame Dolla is looking to reach new heights.
Giannis said that the Bucks is now Lillard’s team.
The team will go as far as Lillard will take them as he is the point guard and arguably the best leader in the game today. The chances of him winning MVP will definitely increase now in Milwaukee but he will probably be in the running against his own teammate. Giannis is always a favorite to win that award every season, as he puts up historically numbers. Dame will probably win the Clutch Player of the Year award but the Most Valuable Player might be a stretch.
With Damian Lillard now a Buck, we can say this is a super team.
If we are calling the Bucks a superteam now, LeBron James is the last player to win MVP on a superteam back in 2011-12, his second season with the Miami Heat. The last player to win MVP in his first year with a new team was Charles Barkley when he traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1992. Moses Malone won back to back MVPs when he moved from the Houston Rockets (1981-82) to the Philadelphia 76ers (82-83). So it is very rare for a player going to a new team to win it but if the Bucks are winning a lot of games, possibly finishing as a top seed, Lillard can potentially win his first one.
Ultimately, Lillard cares more about winning the that ever elusive championship over any uaward. He has preached about winning a championship during his whole career in Portland and we know that he will do anything to achieve that, even if it means sacrificing his numbers for the better of the team.