Giannis Lauds Damian Lillard’s Impact After Debut: ‘Never Played With a Guy Like That’

Giannis Antetokounmpo appears to feel right at home playing alongside new Bucks addition Damian Lillard. After the team’s 108-97 preseason victory over the Lakers on Sunday night, Antetokounmpo gushed with praise for Lillard and specifically the impact he makes the initial tip of the game.

“He’s a threat, like … coming down from half court, he’s already a threat, and I’ve never played with a guy like that,” Antetokounmpo said of Lillard. “I hope I can make the game easy for him, as much as he makes it easier for me and for our team.

“I’ve been with the Bucks for, this is my 11th seas.on I’ve never seen from the first play of the game, somebody being 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 an in-season tournament game, you know? … It’s a preseason game.”

Antetokounmpo and Lillard led Milwaukee in scoring on Sunday night, with the longtime Bucks forward scoring 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting with eight rebounds over 15 minutes.

Lillard struggled to get his shot to fall, knocking down 3-of-10 attempts from the field, but he was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line and finished with 14 points, four steals, three assists and two rebounds in 22 minutes.

It was Lillard’s preseason debut for the Bucks, as he sat out the team’s first two games of the exhibition season. Milwaukee opens the regular season against the visiting 76ers on Oct. 26.