On the eve of the Milwaukee Bucks’ season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, Giannis Antetokounmpo declared that this was Damian Lillard’s team.
The former back-to-back MVP took a bit of flack for his rather contentious statement. However, what we saw in Milwaukee’s 118-117 victory over the Sixers has to serve as proof that Giannis meant what he said.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Reacts to Damian Lillard’s Milwaukee Bucks Debut
Giannis witnessed first-hand what Dame did in his Bucks debut, which is why the Milwaukee talisman was able to provide an excellent assessment of his new superstar teammates’ first game as a Buck. Apparently, Antetokounmpo is just like the rest of us in that Lillard’s heroics pretty much left him in awe:
“The guy can make plays down the stretch, guy’s gonna lead the team, guy’s gonna make shots, put us in the right position, guy’s gonna be aggressive throughout the whole game, create for himself,” Giannis said of Dame. “I think he was unbelievable today… says a lot about him, a lot about his character, a lot of what he brings to the table and what he brings to this team.
“I’m very excited, the team is very excited to go through the season with him.”
"I think he was unbelievable today… says a lot about him, a lot about his character."
Giannis has high praise for Dame after watching his debut 👀 pic.twitter.com/iRQ2Hpqo4n
— NBA (@NBA) October 27, 2023
Giannis also mentioned how Lillard’s 39-point explosion set the franchise record for the most points in their debut. Perhaps what’s even more impressive than how Dame has reached such heights in his first-ever game for Milwaukee is the fact that this isn’t totally surprising.
It’s just been one game, and you could argue that the Bucks barely defeated a James Harden-less 76ers side. However, if they keep on playing like this, Milwaukee is definitely going to be a problem for the rest of the NBA.
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