{"id":663,"date":"2025-02-26T09:00:31","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T07:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/giannisgreekfreak.wordpress.com\/?p=663"},"modified":"2025-02-27T13:27:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T13:27:02","slug":"dame-is-giannis-third-big-mistake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/2025\/02\/26\/dame-is-giannis-third-big-mistake\/","title":{"rendered":"Dame is Giannis’ third big mistake"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Damian Lillard\u2019s performance dipping when Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the floor isn\u2019t a straightforward \u201che\u2019s worse\u201d situation\u2014it\u2019s more about fit, usage, and how their games mesh (or don\u2019t) on the Milwaukee Bucks as of February 26, 2025. Lillard joined the Bucks in 2023 to pair with Giannis, forming a superstar duo. Yeah, remember Giannis shouting about “winning it the right way” and not wanting to be part of a superteam?<\/strong> Well the on-court results have shown some serious lack of basketball IQ on Giannis’ part. Let\u2019s break down why Lillard\u2019s numbers and impact tend to take a hit when sharing the court with Giannis, based on stats, playstyle clashes, and team context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

We all know that Dame was Giannis’ choice<\/strong>. As was losing Jrue. As was trading Khris. So let’s take a closer look at the first of these three wrong decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


First, look at the numbers this season. Lillard\u2019s averaging 25.8 points, 7.2 assists, and 4.5 rebounds overall, with a 42.9% field goal percentage and 35.8% from three. But in lineups with Giannis, his scoring drops <\/strong>slightly\u2014per NBA advanced stats, Lillard\u2019s usage rate falls from 31.2% when Giannis is off to around 27% when they\u2019re together. Giannis, a ball-dominant force (32.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists), commands the offense with a 33.8% usage rate. Both thrive with the ball in their hands\u2014Lillard as a pick-and-roll maestro, Giannis as a freight train in transition and the paint. (And I am not using the term “freight train” in a positive way here<\/strong>. He misses way too many at the rim, waaay too many free throws and he ruins the flow by playing like that. ) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they share the floor, Lillard often cedes primary creation duties, shifting to more off-ball roles like spot-up shooting, which isn\u2019t his natural strength. Let’s re think that, eh? The experienced ball handler cedes to the forward that leads in travelling and other violations<\/strong>…<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Their playstyles amplify this. Lillard\u2019s elite skill is his deep-range shooting and ability to break down defenses in isolation or pick-and-roll sets\u2014he\u2019s historically taken 30+ footers and orchestrated late-game possessions. Giannis, meanwhile, clogs the paint and excels driving downhill, but his lack of a reliable jumper (20% from three this year) lets defenses sag off him, shrinking the floor. Opponents build a \u201cwall\u201d against Giannis, packing the lane, which can cramp Lillard\u2019s driving lanes and force him into contested mid-range shots or kickouts<\/strong>. Cleaning the Glass data shows the Bucks\u2019 offensive rating drops to 114.2 with both on, compared to 117.8 with Lillard alone\u2014suggesting less efficiency together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Spacing is a big culprit.<\/strong> Giannis\u2019s presence draws double-teams inside, but without consistent outside shooting from him, defenses don\u2019t respect the Bucks\u2019 perimeter as much. Lillard\u2019s three-point attempts per game are down to 8.2 this season from 10.5 in his last Portland year,<\/strong> and his catch-and-shoot opportunities haven\u2019t fully clicked\u2014his effective field goal percentage on threes dips from 58% solo to 54% with Giannis<\/strong>, per Second Spectrum tracking. Milwaukee\u2019s supporting cast (like Brook Lopez or Khris Middleton) helps, but the lack of synergy between the stars leaves Lillard less room to operate his preferred game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Defensively, it\u2019s not a huge factor, but it\u2019s worth noting. Lillard, at 6\u20192\u201d and 34 years old, isn\u2019t a lockdown guy\u2014he\u2019s targeted in switches, averaging 0.7 steals but often a step slow. Pairing them means opponents attack Lillard, pulling Giannis into help situations that can disrupt their rhythm. This doesn\u2019t directly make Lillard \u201cworse\u201d offensively, but it tires him out, potentially sapping his scoring punch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Then there\u2019s the adjustment factor. In Portland, Lillard was the unquestioned alpha, running 35-40 minutes of heliocentric offense. With Giannis, he\u2019s adapting to a co-star role under coach Doc Rivers, who leans heavily on Giannis\u2019s physicality. It is hard not to emphasize the hole that the Bucks have dug themselves into by promoting Giannis as the ultimate MVP player all the time<\/strong>. The pressure on Dame is unfair and constant from day one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lillard\u2019s assist numbers creep up with Giannis (7.5 vs. 6.8 without), showing he\u2019s facilitating more, but his scoring efficiency takes a hit\u2014true shooting percentage drops from 60.1% solo to 57.8% together<\/strong>. He\u2019s less comfortable deferring or playing second fiddle, especially when Giannis\u2019s freight-train drives don\u2019t always set up Lillard\u2019s preferred catch-and-shoot looks. All too often Giannis simply gets caught up in traffic and makes a bad desperation pass with no clock left and every opponent 100% certain that Dame has to take that shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Contrast this with Giannis\u2019s prior pairing with Khris Middleton, a better spacer (38.5% from three this year) who complemented Giannis by stretching defenses without needing the ball as much. Lillard\u2019s ball-dominant style overlaps with Giannis\u2019s, and neither is a natural off-ball mover like a Steph Curry. Fans often point this out\u2014some argue Lillard looks \u201clost\u201d or \u201cdisengaged\u201d when Giannis dominates<\/strong>, a sentiment echoed in games like their February 25 loss to Houston, where Lillard shot 5-for-14 with Giannis on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


It\u2019s not that Lillard\u2019s inherently worse with Giannis\u2014it\u2019s that their strengths haven\u2019t fully synced. Lillard\u2019s at his best creating in space; Giannis consumes space<\/strong>. Until the Bucks tweak their scheme\u2014more stagger minutes, better spacing lineups, or Lillard embracing off-ball movement\u2014the numbers and eye test suggest he\u2019s less effective in this tandem than he could be alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me the biggest problem is how everyone treats Dame. As if Giannis is too sacred to criticise<\/strong>. It is always Dame’s fault if the Bucks lose. This is inaccurate and unfair. Dame has regretted being traded for sure as he is wasting his last good years on a team that clearly cannot work with a Giannis who lacks the IQ to change<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Damian Lillard\u2019s performance dipping when Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the floor isn\u2019t a straightforward \u201che\u2019s worse\u201d situation\u2014it\u2019s more about fit, usage, and how their games mesh (or don\u2019t) on the Milwaukee Bucks as of February 26, 2025. Lillard joined the Bucks in 2023 to pair with Giannis, forming a superstar duo. Yeah, remember Giannis shouting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":667,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[20,38,39,57,76,82,93,98,120,127],"class_list":["post-663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-strategy","category-team","tag-basketball","tag-dame","tag-damian","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-lillard","tag-milwaukee-bucks","tag-nba","tag-playing","tag-sports","tag-together"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/dame-cant-play-with-giannis-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=663"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":697,"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663\/revisions\/697"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}