Despite the fact that the Milwaukee Bucks now have two of the top players in the NBA on the same roster, there’s still no denying that they have a lot of stuff to figure out. As we’ve seen in the past, pairing two superstars does not always result in success. In fact, in some cases, it turns out to be a recipe for disaster.
Damian Lillard Speaks Out on Usage Rate for Milwaukee Bucks
This is obviously Giannis Antetkounmpo’s team, so if anything, it’s Lillard who’s going to need to make the necessary adjustments. It’s not as if Giannis won’t be required to tweak his game a bit as well, but for the most part, it’s Dame who’s going to be expected to adjust to Antetokounmpo, and not the other way around.
As we all know, Lillard had an extremely high usage rate during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers — something that is expected to change significantly with his new team. At this point, however, the seven-time All-Star is not worried about it one bit:
“I’m a sniper, so even if his usage is the same or mine’s is not as much,” Lillard said (h/t Reign Amurao of sportskeeda. “I’m still gonna be able to position myself to have an opportunity to be effective.”
He’s not wrong. Guys like Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday have thrived playing alongside Giannis, which makes it hard to imagine that a superstar of Lillard’s caliber won’t be able to find the same level of success, if not more.
Damian Lillard Poses Major Dilemma for Opposition
In fact, Lillard is the one posing a burning question for their opponents. The Bucks do face a dilemma on the Giannis and Lillard front, which is something they should be able to figure out sooner rather than later. However, the opposition could be in store for a world of hurt:
“Which one are you going to do? You gon’ clog up the paint or are you going to allow me to make nine 3s?” Lillard asked. “I’m not looking at it as much like, he’s gonna have the ball or I’m gonna have the ball. It’s, how can we come together and be able to make it work for both of us? If we wanna win big, then it has to work for both of us.”
That definitely works for me, and I’m pretty sure Bucks fans wouldn’t beg to disagree.
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