LOS ANGELES – It only took one play for Damian Lillard to fully process the privilege in playing with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Just like during his first 11 NBA seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, Lillard met both his defender at halfcourt and a double team shortly afterwards. Unlike during his time in Portland, Lillard spent his first game with the Milwaukee Bucks reacting to those double teams by deferring to one of the league’s most dominant big men.
“The guy that I’m releasing the ball to is Giannis,” Lillard said, laughing. “So I’m just like, ‘We can do this all night.’”
And so they did. In the Bucks’ 108-97 pre-season win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, both Lillard and Antetokounmpo showcased what coach Adrian Griffin described as a “very productive” and “a positive step in the right direction.”
Antetokounmpo posted an efficient 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting along with eight rebounds partly because of Lillard’s gravity and swarming defensive attention. Partly because of those reasons, Lillard scored 14 points on only 3-for-10 shooting and 2-for-7 from 3-point range. Yet, he made up for those numbers with efficiency with his free-throw shooting (6-for-6) and with his passing (seven assists) partly because of Antetokounmpo’s presence.
“I’ve never played with a guy like that,” Antetokounmpo said of Lillard. “I hope I can make the game easier for him as much as he makes the game easier for me and our team.”
Nothing captured that dynamic perfectly than on the Bucks’ first possession.
Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell immediately picked up Lillard at halfcourt. Then, Lakers forward Taurean Prince swarmed Lillard on a double team. Since he didn’t have the space to shoot from deep or create on his own, Lillard fed the ball to Antetokounmpo. Following a few pump fakes, Antetokounmpo then converted a hook shot over Lakers center Christian Wood.
“I’ve never been this much open in the last five to seven years,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’ve never been this open. First of all, I’ve never seen somebody be double teamed from the first possession of the game.”
It may have taken only one play to confirm why the Bucks acquired Lillard just before training camp even at the expense of shipping their prized two-way player to Portland (Jrue Holiday) before being shipped to Boston. Milwaukee saw how Lillard’s playmaking, shooting and gravitational pull can make life easier for Antetokounmpo and everyone else on the Bucks’ roster.
Yet, both Lillard and Antetokounmpo sounded aware it will take much more than just one play to feel they have become the best version of themselves on the same team.
“Right now, our personalities and styles of play, it goes together. It’s been obvious in camp and when we’ve played together. But you got to have some time,” Lillard said. “You got to have some experience to really know. It might take a time where Giannis has to get mad at me over something. Something’s got to happen for you to really start to learn who we are and how we come together. Obviously, that’ s going to take time.”
In their first public disagreement, Antetokounmpo dismissed the possibility that he would ever have an argument with Lillard.
“I don’t think I’m ever going to be mad at Dame,” Antetokounmpo said. “I think what he brings to the game is so much. What he does for this team is so much that you can’t ever be upset. Just by him being out there, he creates so much attention. He makes our game easier.”
In their many signs of unity, Antetokounmpo also echoed Lillard’s prediction that “this is going to be a long process” that may not have a definitive expiration date.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but I know that everybody is on the same page,” Antetokounmpo said. “Everybody is being selfless. Everybody wants us to figure it out. I’m not talking about everybody; I’m talking about my teammates. We want to figure things out. So it might take a month. It might take two months. It might take six months. It doesn’t matter. We might figure it out in the last game of the regular season. The goal is to figure it out and be where we want it to be when it matters the most.”
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That’s because the Bucks added super-star depth in hopes to win an NBA championship for the second time in three years after flaming out in a first-round exit as a No. 1 seed to the Miami Heat. The Bucks didn’t trust they would just rectify their playoff shortcomings with better health and a new head coach. They determined adding a star player would make their offense significantly more dominant even at the expense of a relatively diminished defense and continuity.
As NBA history has shown, sometimes those win-now moves create more disruptions. Star players struggle to co-exist and sacrifice roles. Perhaps they co-exist, but they lack enough depth around them. The Bucks don’t sense either concern will materialize with this team.
Egos? Both Antetokounmpo and Lillard have deepened their respect for each other for their disciplined and stoic work habits. Both players have weathered frustrated on what it’s like to dominate on a diminished roster. Therefore, Griffin told both Antetokounmpo and Lillard, “you don’t have to be anything else than Giannis and Dame doesn’t have to be anything else than Dame.”
“He’s like a little version of me, that guard version,” Antetokounmpo said of Lillard. “He’s quiet, takes care of his business and takes care of his family. He shows up, practices really hard and helps his teammates. When he needs to be vocal, he’s vocal. When he doesn’t want to be vocal, he doesn’t say much. When the game starts, he’s just a killer. I’m happy that I’m able to have that guy on my side.”
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Depth? The Bucks may miss Holiday’s defense this season. But they expect their proven wing player (Khris Middleton) to become healthy soon. They have great interior depth (Brook Lopez), an energetic 6th man (Bobby Portis) and outside shooting depth (Jae Crowder, Pat Connaughton). And it’s not a coincidence that Connaughton (12 points), Cameron Payne (12), Lopez (11) and Portis (10) cracked double figures with Lillard on the floor.
“We’re going to have a lot of options,” Lillard said. “We have a lot of guys who are capable. Everybody is just enjoying the fact that we have those types of weapons.”
In the first half, Antetokounmpo became the main weapon. He scored all 16 of his points in only 15 minutes of play, while Lillard embraced his playmaking role. He didn’t score until making three foul shots with 6:15 left in the first quarter after drawing a foul on Russell on a 3-point attempt. He didn’t actually shoot until missing a pull-up 3 with 6:05 left. And he didn’t make a shot until drilling a 3 over Max Christie with 7:15 left in second quarter.
Unlike for most of his NBA career, Lillard worried more about finding Antetokounmpo and his teammates for open looks.
“He’s a smart player. I think early in the game, being in a point guard role, he was looking to execute and get others involved,” Griffin said of Lillard. “He’s a constant pro. He knows how to get his shot and knows when he wants to get his shot. He has great command of the game.”
Lillard opened the third quarter without Antetokounmpo, leaving the Bucks’ new star with an opportunity to hunt for his shot. Lillard pulled up for 3 at the 11:45 mark because the Lakers sagged off of him. Otherwise, Lillard logged 7:19 in the third quarter with less emphasis on his scoring (three points on 1-for-4 clip) and more on setting up Lopez (nine points), Portis (eight) and Beasley (five). Lillard then sat for the entire fourth quarter.
“Without Giannis being out there, it wasn’t like I said, ‘Giannis is not playing; I’m going to start shooting the ball. It was just, ‘Are they going to continue to defend me the same way?’” Lillard said. “It wasn’t really about Giannis being on the floor and not being on the floor. I think my approach is typically the same.”
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All of which leaves the Bucks extremely comfortable with their new partnership. Through a week of training camp, Lillard has helped his teammates become more familiar with the Bucks’ offensive sets under assistant coach Terry Stotts after coaching Lillard in Portland for his first nine NBA seasons. In only one exhibition game, Lillard has already deferred to Antetokounmpo as the team’s No. 1 option. In turn, Antetokounmpo has already deferred to Lillard on sharing leadership responsibilities.
“When he comes to me, we don’t go back and forth. When he tells me something, I say, ‘Yes,’” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “When you have a relationship like that, it’s easy. He knows that I’m here to do whatever it takes to win. But if I have to set 25 screens for him, I’m going to do it. That’s why we get paid the big bucks.”
And that’s why even if the Bucks project a long journey ahead, they feel encouraged after one preseason game. It only took the first play to realize why.
Mark Medina is an NBA Insider at Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads