Damian Lillard admits that his partnership with Giannis Antetokounmpo is still a work in progress. However, if there’s one thing he can assure, it’s that Milwaukee Bucks fans will love their chemistry once they figure it all out.
Lillard said as much on Wednesday ahead of their NBA In-Season Tournament semifinals showdown with the Indiana Pacers. While Lillard and Antetokounmpo showed in the quarterfinals against the New York Knicks how potent their one-two combo can be, the Bucks guard emphasized that they still have a lot of work to do before they reach their full potential.
The 33-year-old All-Star shared that it might take some time, but he vowed that it’s worth the wait.
“Myself and Giannis are just still trying to figure out how we can be in more actions together and take advantage of some of these defenses together,” Lillard told Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“This is our 21st game, so it’s just going to take time. You know, you don’t really know when it is going to click. It just, it just happens… And I think when that day comes, everybody will be able to look at it and say ‘They’re starting to put it together how we expected.’”
Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo Starting To Show Flashes of Potential
When the Bucks made the blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard, there were a lot of expectations that he and Giannis Antetokounmpo would be able to quickly set the whole league on fire. With Lillard’s ability to shoot from basically anywhere on the court, along with Antetokounmpo’s ability to dominate the painted area, they were the perfect pick-your-poison pairing.
However, 21 games through the 2023-24 season, the two have yet to fully showcase the dominant offense that fans expected. In fact, Lillard got off to a slow start with the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite dropping 39 points in the season opener, he followed it up with a six-point outing the next game.
That inconsistent trend has continued as Lillard attempts to build his chemistry with Antetokounmpo and the rest of the Bucks.
However, it isn’t without any progress. As mentioned, in their In-Season Tournament meeting with the Knicks, Lillard and Antetokounmpo displayed how deadly the Bucks’ offense can be. In the said game, Dame Time dropped 28 points, 19 of which came in the first half. Meanwhile, the Greek Freak finished with 35 points, tallying 19 in the second half as they came away with the 146-122 victory.
It’s definitely going to be scary for the NBA once the two can maintain that kind of production consistently. Hopefully, it comes sooner rather than later.
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