Damian Lillard had an excellent performance for the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. He scored 31 points and made 16 assists with his team defeated the Phoenix Suns by a score of 140-129. However, his performance came in a game in which Giannis Antetokounmpo was absent from the rotation.
On Monday’s episode of FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back,” NBA insider Shams Charania noted how Lillard is at his best when he’s operating as a team’s main star.
“Yes, Giannis Antetokounmpo, I think everyone can say he’s one of the best players in the league, probably the best player on this team. But, Damien Lillardwhen the ball is in his hands, when he can be the closer, when he can be the best ball handler, that’s when this team thrives and succeeds,” Charania said.
The difficulty in bringing two star talents together is that one of them will eventually have to accept that they are now a secondary option.
For Milwaukee, it can’t be Giannis. He’s too important to the franchise. He led them to a championship. He is a double MVP. If Lillard is going to be the primary weapon on offense, he may not be the right fit on a team with a clear alpha.
Of course, there will be times when Lillard has to operate as a closer. His three-level scoring and passing abilities make him a serious threat in clutch time situations. However, Giannis is one of the most dominant forwards in the league. Milwaukee is at its best when they play him.
If Milwaukee plans to compete for a championship, Doc Rivers needs to find a way to get his two best players on the court together. And he has to do it in a way that still highlights Giannis throughout the sequence. Otherwise, the Giannis and Lillard partnership might not work out as planned.
Milwaukee knew the risk when it traded for Lillard this summer. Now they have to walk a very thin line. Otherwise, they might have to try to rebuild around their star on the fly, and there’s no guarantee he would approve of that.
