Bucks Zone

Giannis Antetokounmpo is amazed at the defensive attention opposing teams give to Damian Lillard

“It’s a preseason game, and he was double-teamed. It’s insane, man.”

Jonas Panerio

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For all the good things that former Bucks guard Jrue Holiday brought to the table in his tenure with the team, he sure wasn’t double-teamed the moment he crossed halfcourt in a meaningless preseason game.

That’s what new Bucks guard Damian Lillard experienced during their game versus the Los Angeles Lakers, and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was left amazed by the kind of gravity pull Lillard had on the opposing defense.

Defensive recognition

Giannis is about to play in his 11th season in the NBA, and he has seen his fair share of defensive coverages. From double and triple-teams to unique box-and-one schemes, the reigning MVP has faced it all. But what he saw from the Lakers was something else entirely.

“I’ve been with the Bucks for 11 seasons, I’ve never seen from the first play of the game, somebody’s been double-teamed. It was a surprise. It’s a preseason game. It’s not a playoff game. It’s not a regular-season game. It’s not in an in-season tournament game or a Play-In games. It’s a preseason game, and he was double-teamed. It’s insane, man,” Giannis shared.

Open things up

The play Giannis was referring to saw Lillard pass out of the double team and send the ball to Giannis, who drove into the lane and whipped it out to a wide-open Jae Crowder. Although the veteran forward missed the triple, it’s an example of what Giannis can do when he’s playing downhill with a 4-on-3.

“When I’m wide open, I try to attack downhill and do what I do,” Antetokounmpo said. “People are crowding the paint, and I just kick it to Jae, kick it to Brook, kick it to Malik. Guys are open. At the end of the day, I gotta just do my job,” Giannis explained.

With teams wary of Lillard’s outside marksmanship, the man was made more than 2,300 threes in his career, this will give Giannis more room to operate. And in the NBA, there’s nothing more terrifying for defenses than a seven-foot All-Star with a head of steam.

“I think it’s going to allow me to make plays a little bit more … with a little bit more space around me and not people trying to get in my feet and trying to put their hands (on me) or trying to double-team and crowd the space. It’s going to allow me to make more plays for myself going downhill or make plays for my teammates, which is going to be wide-open threes most of the time.”

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Jonas Panerio
JONAS PANERIO