Former NBA champion and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins did a huge U-turn on his past comments about the Milwaukee Bucks, who have experienced an upturn in form in the past few weeks.
When the Milwaukee Bucks were off to a 2-8 start early in the season, Perkins was certain that the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard duo would not work out. Fast forward to today, and he recently admitted his past take was premature.
“At the beginning of the season, I was asking Giannis to take a backseat,” Perkins recalled during a recent episode of NBA Today. “Obviously, Giannis is never going to do that, right? So Dame had to figure things out. Last year when we saw Dame, he looked confused at times when him and Giannis shared the floor together.”
“This year he looks cozy. He looks real comfortable right now in his role, picking his spots on when to be aggressive. …He’s found his niche playing alongside Giannis, which is great for the Milwaukee Bucks,” he concluded.
Damian Lillard has been instrumental during the Milwaukee Bucks’ turnaround
Damian Lillard is a big reason why the Milwaukee Bucks improved to a 13-11 record and are through to the NBA Cup semifinals. In his last 11 appearances, the eight-time NBA All-Star averaged 25.5 points, 8.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 3.5 three-pointers on 46.3 percent shooting from the field. Milwaukee went 9-2 in that period.
Lillard is fresh from an efficient outing against the Orlando Magic during the NBA Cup quarterfinals last Tuesday, as he recorded 28 points, two rebounds, and nine assists on 8-for-15 shooting from the field and 10-for-10 shooting from the free throw line.
Meanwhile, co-star Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to put up video game numbers. The Greek Freak averages 32.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game this season.
