ESPN Employee Accuses Giannis Antetokounmpo of Holding Damian Lillard Back, Deems Jaylen Brown a Better Fit

What do you expect when you take Damian Lillard, a dominant point guard, and pair him with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo? Bucks fans were right to believe that the duo would lead their team to another assault at the championship. Giannis averaged 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds in 2022/23, while the same season saw Lillard become the all-time leading scorer in Blazers history, passing Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler But what was expected to be a suffocating scenario for their opponents turned out to be a frustrating one for the Bucks.

While both players posted solid numbers, they never looked menacing together. There was a lack of cohesion, with Giannis often finding himself heavily crowded with Lillard left to fend for himself. Lillard, whose pull-up range shooting, is comparable to Stephen Curry, saw his 3-point shooting percentage drop to 35.4% from 37.1% in his last season with Portland Trail Blazers. So, what was the reason behind the reduced number? Was Giannis to blame for the duo not delivering the desired results?

Darrick Miller appeared alongside Kenny Beecham and Mike Heard on Numbers on the Board on Monday to share his thoughts on the situation at the Bucks. As Heard, pointed out that Lillard was the “best shooters of all time,” Miller chimed in and said, “Put the right team around him; I ain’t got nobody like Giannis to take the ball out of his hands.”

What he implied here is that Antetokounmpo is the one to take assistance from Dame, limiting the veteran’s chance to score. However, surprisingly, the Greek Freak is coming off a field goal percentage of 61.1%, averaging 30.4 points last season. These staggering numbers don’t just come with assistance. It is the duo, not Dame or Giannis alone.

The same thought ran through host Kenny Beecham’s mind as he could not control himself, stating, “Hell No! …Dame is a good role player to win a Championship and not Dame and Giannis?” Giannis’ role in Lillard not reaching the heights expected of him can be disputed. The Greek player himself seemed baffled as to why the combination was not working as desired early in the season.

In November last year, Antetokounmpo talked to The Athletic to explain how the pick-and-roll combination hadn’t worked as expected. “The first couple of games, I couldn’t understand it. Why the f— is it so crowded?” While Giannis’s frustration could be understood, what is difficult to understand is his lack of anticipation that this would happen.

Giannis is used to seeing defenders gang up, creating a wall, and stopping him from marauding downhill. So what changed? Giannis often came across such scenarios, he would survey the scene and take his time to consider his options before driving downhill. But with Lillard and a pick-and-roll situation in play, he had to catch and go and it will take time for him to get used to it.

We did see shades of what they are capable of during their 146-122 win over the New York Knicks last season. The two players worked in tandem with Giannis setting the tone after going up the floor, providing a screen for Lillard. The point guard received the ball and turned it back to Antetokounmpo, who finally allowed MarJon Beauchamp to score a 3-pointer. But it was a rare sight in a long season for the Bucks, as their campaign ended against Indiana Pacers in the first playoff round.

However, according to Miller, Lillard can excel with someone else, more used to playing a flexible role for him. “I would probably go with like Jaylen Brown,” he said when asked about who is the perfect role player for the Bucks. Brown has got an impressive 35.4% shooting from the deep, along with a 49.9% field goal percentage! That’s just pure offensive aura right there.

He didn’t have a skyrocketing assist record last season averaging 3.6 in a game. He is more of a scorer and is active on the defensive end because of his athleticism. Jayson Tatum could be a better fit since he has better playmaking numbers.

On the other hand, Damian Lillard is a pure playmaker with a 7-assist average last season, with Giannis Antetokounmpo alongside him with 6.5. So, it is exactly what the host Kenny pointed out. Dame and Giannis are the role players to make the Bucks a Championship contender, not one of them alone!

So can the Bucks faithful hope that Lillard and Antetokounmpo pick and roll through NBA defenses in the upcoming season? Let’s not forget, that even though the duo played together for 65 games, their partnership was often disrupted due to injuries as seen during the playoffs.

In Game 1 against the Pacers, Lillard scored 35 points to get the lead for the Bucks. However, the Game 2 loss despite the 34-point haul and Dame’s Achilles injury in the following game brought the Bucks down to their knees. Notably, Giannis was not there the whole time because of the strain of the soleus muscle in his left calf. So Kenny was spot on about only one was not enough for them to win the Championship.

While there might be talk about splitting up Lillard and the Bucks icon Antetokounmpo, the veteran point guard is confident things will improve.

Lillard says the transition was harder than he thought

On the Club 520 podcast, Lillard opened up on the challenge of the first season at the Milwaukee Bucks. “It was a harder transition than I thought for real like just like I said because of my life [moving cities, going through a divorce] but then also like adjusting to playing with another great player [Antetokounmpo] and then also playing with Khris,” he said.

Last season, Lillard and Giannis were joined on the court by Khris Middleton and despite +17.5 net rating, they never looked dominant. Injuries meant they only played in 42 games together, none in the playoffs.

In the previous season, the pick-and-roll duo also had to work under two different coaches. They started the season under Adrian Griffin, before he was let go and Doc Rivers was appointed in his place in January. A month later, Rivers shared his own assessment of why both players haven’t gelled.

He said the two are eager to play off each other’s strengths.“There’s times when they’re together, they’re both trying not to be aggressive for the other one, and I don’t want that either.”

The next season is still almost two months away. There is still time for Rivers to ensure he gets the best out of Giannis and Lillard. If he manages to do that, we might get to see them roll through teams and perhaps a championship challenge may not be far off then.

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger