Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts to first game with Damian Lillard

The Milwaukee Bucks unveiled their superstar duo as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard took the court together for the first time. Their preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers provided a glimpse of the potential that the Bucks now possess.

Milwaukee secured the victory with a final score of 108-97. Giannis made his presence known with a quick 16 points and 8 rebounds in just 5 minutes of play. Meanwhile, Damian Lillard contributed 14 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals in 22 minutes on the floor.

After the game, Antetokounmpo reflected on the experience of sharing the court with Lillard. He highlighted the newfound space and opportunities created by Lillard’s presence.

“I’ve never been this open the last five to seven years if I remember well. I’ve never been this open,” he said. “And first of all I’ve never seen anybody been double-teamed from the first possession of the game.”

Antetokounmpo also discussed the intense defensive attention Lillard drew from the Lakers, emphasizing how they doubled-teamed him right from the start.

This defensive focus on Lillard opened up opportunities for Giannis, allowing him to exploit the extra space and create scoring chances for his teammates.

“Obviously, I got to figure it out because with a guy like him sometimes you might not even have to screen the pick and roll because this guy is really not worrying about me,” the Greek Freak said.

“He’s so focused on him and he not getting a wide open three that that they just chasing him and sometimes it’s just going to allow me to be I think, we’ll see, I don’t know, I’m not sure yet, we got to keep on playing and keep on figuring out our offense, but I think it’s going to allow me to make plays a little bit more, not easy, I feel like with a little bit more space around me and not people trying to get in my feet or try to put their hands or try to double-team and crowd the space.”

Furthermore, Antetokounmpo explained that playing alongside a scoring threat like Lillard could lead to a different style of offensive play for him.

He noted that Lillard’s gravity as a shooter and playmaker may enable him to make plays more effortlessly with additional space to operate.

“It’s going to allow me to make more plays for myself going downhill or make plays for my teammates which is going to be wide open threes most of the time,” Giannis said.

Antetokounmpo expressed his admiration for Lillard’s game, emphasizing how the point guard’s scoring threat is already apparent from beyond half court.

The 2021 NBA champion praised Lillard’s ability to create opportunities for himself and his teammates and shared his aspirations of reciprocating that impact for the team.

“At the end of the day, man, he’s a threat coming down from half court he’s already a threat. I’ve never played with a guy like that and I hope I can make the game easy for him as much as he’s making it easy for me and for our team.”