The Milwaukee Bucks continue to gear up toward an NBA Championship with one of the most stacked rosters in the league.
Milwaukee made a bold move last offseason to deal for one of the best players in the NBA to pair alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. Fast forward to now, their addition isn’t even considered a top-five sidekick in the league according to Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach.
When the Bucks acquired Damian Lillard before the start of last season, the Eastern Conference squad shot up the betting odds as a championship favorite. However, after a lackluster season for Milwaukee, it seems like basketball minds around the league may have forgotten just how talented the former Portland Trail Blazers superstar is.
The guard averaged 24.3 points, seven assists, and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 42.4% from field goal range and 35.4% from three in his first season with his new squad. While Lillard’s stats were still among the best in the league, the Bucks star is held to a different standard due to his season the year prior.
In 2022-23, the Weber State product averaged 32.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds on a Portland team that failed to put adequate talent around the playmaker. Despite that, Lillard still produced at a high level in Milwaukee while adapting to his first time being paired with another superstar on the level of the Greek Freak.
At 34, Lillard is still one of the best players in the league. Although the Bucks are without a doubt Antetokounmpo’s team, it could be argued that the former lottery pick is Milwaukee’s No. 1 option on offense.
Regardless, not listing Lillard as a top-five sidekick in the league may be one of the boldest takes of the offseason.
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