Myles Turner is a great fit next to Giannis Antetokounmpo, but he can’t carry the Giannis-less Milwaukee Bucks as Damian Lillard could. When Antetokounmpo is healthy, perhaps Turner is a better fit, especially with how expensive Lillard’s contract was, but when Antetokounmpo is out, the Bucks are in a brutal spot.
Right now, Antetokounmpo is dealing with a groin injury. He’s missed their last three games, as well as only playing 13 minutes in the game prior, when he got injured. In those four games, the Bucks are 0-4, and it’s never been clearer that Turner isn’t capable of running the show with Antetokounmpo sidelined.
It’s an issue the Bucks had to have thought about when they were making their offseason decisions.
Myles Turner can’t carry like Damian Lillard
When Lillard was on the Bucks, they had two players who were capable of leading an offense. Lillard wasn’t the player he was in his prime on the Portland Trail Blazers, but he still understood how to run the show.
He was okay when Antetokounmpo was out. During his tenure in Milwaukee, when Antetokounmpo was on the sidelines, Lillard led the Bucks to a 7-8 record.
It wasn’t great, but considering the Bucks were missing their best player, who is one of the best players on the planet, it wasn’t an awful record. Lillard did a decent job.
The same success hasn’t followed in his absence, as Turner isn’t the type of player who can lead an offense. He’s more of a complementary player, which is fine when Antetokounmpo is healthy, but rough when he’s out.
In the early goings of his first season with the Bucks, Turner is only 1-4 with Antetokounmpo out of the lineup, which is a pretty brutal pace for the Bucks to have to deal with this year.
Turner’s latest performance on Monday night was emblematic of the issues the Bucks will deal with when he’s one of their primary options with Antetokounmpo out.
In Milwaukee’s loss to the Trail Blazers, Turner finished the night with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks, but he shot just 4-of-12 from the floor.
Considering the Bucks will need him to take on a relatively heavy offensive load when Antetokounmpo is out, that type of performance is less than ideal, and it’s a huge step down from what Lillard was able to bring them in that regard.
That’s the reality the Bucks signed up for when they waived Lillard and used the money to sign Turner.