'Need Dame to be on 100 steroids': Giannis Antetokounmpo expects to be locked in mutually with Damian Lillard
Giannis Antetokounmpo admitted that he might need to step up for the Milwaukee Bucks now that they have Damian Lillard by their side. In an interview over SiriusXM NBA Radio, Antetokounmpo dropped a truth bomb on how he will approach his team-up with Lillard for the upcoming NBA season:
"I'll be very honest with you. I feel like I'm way more locked in. You know? I have to be on point because if you have a guy like Dame next to you... you have to be ready."
Interestingly enough, Lillard said in a previous interview that he should be more 'locked in' with Antetokounmpo around too:
"I gotta be more locked in 'coz Giannis is right next to me."
However, Giannis Antetokounmpo sees that as a challenge to play at his best especially now that many are tagging Milwaukee, with its core still intact, as a heavy favorite to win the NBA title:
"He expects a level from me, so I have to give my best and be on that level every single day that I'm next to him." Antetokounmpo said.
"I expect a level from him, and he has to do his best. ... At the end of the day, I feel like people like Dame bring the best out of you, especially that he's very competitive. I play with a chip on my shoulder, he plays with a chip on his shoulder."
Antetokounmpo then somehow issued a challenge to Lillard to play even more aggressively than he did in Portland:
"I need Dame to be Dame on 100 steroids. What he did in Portland, I need him to be extra aggressive... play with more chips on his shoulder."
He then vowed that he would keep on bringing the same A-game that brought Milwaukee the 2021 NBA championship:
"What I did here for the last couple of years, I have to do the same."
Giannis Antetokounmpo says Damian Lillard brings 'best of both worlds'
Giannis Antetokounmpo believes Damian Lillard could be the missing piece that could help the Milwaukee Bucks build a dynasty this decade. In the same interview, he said:
"He brings the best out of both worlds and not only us because it's a domino effect."
He believes the intensity Lillard could bring could motivate the rest of the Bucks to play with the same amount of intensity.
Giannis Antetokounmpo hopes that Milwaukee lives up to the preseason expectations following the acquisition of Lillard, and the team has a lot riding on how the duo performs together.
It's now championship or bust for the Bucks.