After 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard wanted a change of scenery this past offseason. Ideally, one that put him in a competitive situation where he could compete for a chance at his first NBA championship.
Lillard had his heart set on landing with the Miami Heat, but now that he’s with the Milwaukee Bucks, is the seven-time All-NBA player in a better situation?
So far, the Bucks have experienced several ups and downs, as Lillard’s been forced into co-existing with superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo on the fly. We’ve seen blowout losses to the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors, losing by 17 and 19 points, respectively. Yet, those were the second and fourth games the dynamic duo played together.
Both superstars are used to having the offense run through them as the face of the franchise, so it’s no surprise to see early growing pains, as Lillard recently alluded to.
“We’re still learning each other. If it would’ve been flipped and him coming to Portland to play with me, I would’ve already been comfortable because I’ve been here. He would have been trying to adapt and get comfortable and figure out how he fits in and maybe would have been a bit more passive in trying to learn the way. That’s me right now.”
Damian Lillard on learning to play with Giannis Antetokounmpo
| Games played | Assists | Rebounds | Points | |
| Damian Lillard | 15 | 6.4 | 4.4 | 25.2 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 15 | 4.5 | 10.3 | 29.7 |
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Portland’s rebuild begins without Damian Lillard
The Bucks have lost just once when Lillard and Antetokounmpo played since their Nov. 11 loss to Toronto.
When these two are clicking, you can see the potential for the Bucks to be the best team Lillard has ever been on. Even though the Heat may have represented the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals a season ago, it’s hard to argue against the idea that Lillard is in the best situation he could be in.
On Sunday, Lillard faces his old team for the first time since the Trail Blazers traded him. Surely, it will be an emotional time for the sixth overall pick from the 2012 NBA Draft.
After all, Portland was the first team to believe in the ‘undersized’ 6-foot-2 Weber State star’s abilities before he became a superstar. It would be inhumane not to feel some warmth for his former team, even if most familiar teammates are no longer there.
But the Blazers are 4-11, showing Lillard was right to eye a better opportunity. Their lackluster performance this season only proves Lillard was the glue holding Portland’s roster together. Now, the Blazers can get their rebuild going, with the hope of an even better roster being built in time even if there are plenty of growing pains along the way.
What could’ve been in Miami for Damian Lillard
As for Miami, it’s hard not to envision what life could have been like for Lillard with the Heat. Not only would the 33-year-old get to enjoy the lovely Florida weather, he also would have immediately formed one of the best 1-2 punches in the NBA, with Jimmy Butler plus Bam Adebayo acting as an All-Star complementary piece.
Not bad, but in Milwaukee, Lillard has the same benefits, with Antetokounmpo being an even better player than Butler, even if he doesn’t enjoy the same warm weather, along with Khris Middleton providing more help on the wing.
Sure, the Heat are still competitive. That was expected. But perhaps with Lillard, they could have become the frontrunners in the East. We’ll never know, but Tuesday’s matchup sends Lillard’s Bucks to Miami, giving Butler and Co. a chance to show Lillard what he’s missing out on.
That is, unless the Bucks take this opportunity to show the world why Milwaukee should be considered the class of the East instead.
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