"Which one are you gonna do?" - Damian Lillard presents latest 'Sophie's choice' for opponents amid preparation with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bucks
Ahead of his first season with the Milwaukee Bucks, Damian Lillard has been the center of attention in training camp. During a recent practice interview, Lillard was asked what to expect from him playing alongside Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2023-24 NBA season. Lillard then went in-depth to talk about how it will be like a 'Sophie’s Choice' scenario for opposing defenses to decide which superstar to focus their attention on.
Lillard first spoke about how he has already watched extensive footage of how Antetokounmpo’s guard teammates have worked with him in the past. Lillard highlighted how “The Greek Freak’s” teammates often thrive by setting screens to allow him to get downhill and finish in the paint. This comes as these plays typically provide extra spot-up opportunities for Antetokounmpo’s teammates when he is forced to pass out of double-teams.
Lillard said:
“You know, if we come out in the first quarter and he’s having the ball in his hands a lot, a lot of the actions that I’ve seen with guys with him, you know, Grayson (Allen) and Pat (Connaughton) and even back, I’ve watched clips of Malcolm Brogdon when he was here, just setting screens for him, and teams are gonna give him attention, you know, they’re not gonna allow this dude to just come downhill and just dunk every time cos that’s what’ll happen.
“And those guys ate off that a lot. You know, where they’re slipping out, setting a screen and their guy has to stay in front of the ball so he doesn’t get downhill.”
Lillard then said that he expects himself to be able to thrive off these types of actions as well due to his deep 3-point range. So, defenders will have the ultimatum of deciding whether to let him have open 3s or whether to let Antetokounmpo have open dunks:
“So, it’s two on the ball and you pop it back to open 3s, and I’m a sniper.
“So, even if his usage is the same, or mine is not as much, I’m still gonna be able to position myself to have opportunities to be effective. And it might not look like usage, it just might look like, ‘Which one are you gonna do?’”
Also read: "Nurkic never did that": Fans hilariously project Damian Lillard's thoughts as he watches Giannis Antetokounmpo's freakish vertical
Damian Lillard says he and Giannis Antetokounmpo need to work together to be effective
Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are expected to instantly compete for the title of best duo in the league in the 2023-24 season. Their inside-out combo should provide the Bucks with extra spacing and more options on offense, giving opposing teams headaches on a nightly basis.
However, given that they are both used to being No. 1 options, it may take some time for them to adjust to playing with each other. This appears to be no problem for Lillard, though.
This comes as the superstar point guard added that he and Antetokounmpo will have to make sacrifices and work together to win an NBA title:
“So, I’m not looking at it as much like he’s gonna have the ball or I’m gonna have the ball.
“It’s how can we come together and be able to make it work for both of us, because if we wanna win big, then it has to work for both of us to be able to do what we do.”
(0:58 mark below)
Lillard, 33, is coming off a career-best season in which he averaged a career-high 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 4.2 3-pointers per game on 46.3% shooting over 58 games with the Portland Trail Blazers.
However, he hasn’t experienced much playoff success in recent years and even failed to make the playoffs the last two seasons. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo is coming off a disappointing first-round exit with the Bucks.
So, given that both players have experienced letdowns in recent seasons, they should both be inclined to make the necessary sacrifices to be successful in 2024.
Also read: “He was a fraud”: Notorious analyst rips Damian Lillard to shreds after massive move to create ‘super team’ in Milwaukee