Damian Lillard's preseason with Bucks shows he wasn't bluffing, but there's a problem

As the Milwaukee Bucks gear up for a new NBA season, all eyes are on point guard Damian Lillard.

After all, Lillard's first season with the Bucks was a mixed bag overall for all the hype it generated initially. While he still generally brought his scoring prowess to the team, his overall impact fell short of expectations and didn't translate to winning basketball. Across the board, his shooting efficiency dipped, his defense struggled and the Bucks failed to make it beyond the first round of the playoffs.

Lillard's arrival was met with high hopes, as many believed he would form a formidable duo with Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, the chemistry between the two stars wasn't as seamless as anticipated. Lillard struggled to find his rhythm within the offense and his scoring output wasn't as consistent as it had been in Portland. The vaunted Dame-Giannis pick and roll was largely absent.

Defensively, Lillard's limitations were exposed. He struggled to contain opposing guards and often looked lost on the defensive end. This was a significant area of concern for the Bucks, who pride themselves on their defensive intensity.

Lillard reflected on how things went during his availability at Milwaukee Bucks media day.

"I just think it was, like I said, it was just such a blur. When the season was happening, I didn't even realize it as it was happening. I knew I had things going on. It was a hard year. But it took for me to be removed for it and kind of deep into the summer to be like, man, that was just a crazy year, but I just kept pushing through it because that's naturally what I do in my life, you know, even outside of basketball. But I think just gaining perspective too and just being around some of my mentors and my dad and other father figures too."

After a summer filled with speculation and anticipation, Lillard's preseason performance (thus far at least) has silenced doubters and reignited hopes of a championship run in Milwaukee. At the same time, though, while Lillard’s return to form is promising, the synergy with his not-so-new teammate in Giannis Antetokounmpo remains a work in progress and is still shaky at best.

Bucks' Damian Lillard is back with a vengeance

In his first few preseason outings, Lillard has demonstrated that he is not merely a shadow of his former self. In a recent game against the Detroit Pistons, he scored 15 points in just 17 minutes, showcasing his trademark perimeter shooting on a 4-of-6 clip from beyond the arc.

This performance was reminiscent of the brazen scoring that made him a perennial All-Star during his tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers. In his very first preseason outing for the team, the lion's share of his points were notched in a way that only Lillard himself can pull off: by pulling up for three in transition. For the most part, there were no plays, no screens or handoffs, just Dame Time doing what he does best one-on-one.

His first shot being a pull-up jumper told us everything we needed to know. His offseason work was for real, and he's ready to remind the league who Damian Lillard is. It was a sort of message, too, the way he took the handoff from Pat Connaughton and immediately rose up for three, Jaden Ivey's hand in his face and all, only to smirk at the camera slightly before running back up the court on defense. He went on to score 15 points and log four assists that night in just 17 minutes of action.

Lillard’s integration into the Bucks' offense has been marked by an aggressive shooting approach. The five-out offensive style adopted by head coach Doc Rivers has so far allowed Lillard to exploit mismatches while ensuring optimal spacing for him to get to work in the paint. He told reporters:

"I'm in great shape, I can say that. It was a process, I think. After we lost to Indiana, the next day, I went home, and then the day after that I started [physical therapy] for my achilles and my feet. And then I put my team of people together like my chefs, my [trainers], we just got connected, and we put a plan together all the way through the offseason. It was a matter of committing to it and being disciplined, and that was it."

If this preseason thus far is any indication, he certainly wasn't bluffing.

Lillard and Antetokounmpo still need to fine-tune their chemistry

Despite Lillard's impressive individual performance, questions linger about his chemistry with Giannis. In their very next game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Lillard took a bit of a backseat while Antetokounmpo took charge en route to 20 points and yet another Herculean effort.

It's clear the two still have quite a bit to figure out on the offensive end. While both players are elite talents, their styles of play differ significantly. Giannis thrives in transition and around the rim, whereas Lillard excels as a perimeter shooter and playmaker. The challenge lies in finding a balance between their strengths.

The symbiosis between Antetokounmpo and Lillard is one storyline fans are closely following, and for good reason. To recall, when asked if the two superstars were able to work out together over the summer, Lillard responded in the negative.  

"We didn't work out physically together, no. I planned to go, I was gonna go to Greece. But they started camp getting ready for the Olympics and I didn't end up going, but that was it. I mean, I definitely feel more on the same page with him now than I did last year, and we didn't even work out together," he said. 

In their preseason games together, there have been glimpses of potential synergy; however, it has not yet translated into consistent execution on the court. While they can create opportunities through high pick-and-rolls, there were moments when their timing appeared off, leading to missed chances and turnovers.

Against the Chicago Bulls, Lillard drilled his first shots, one of which was off a screen from Antetokounmpo. But by and large, there were still many possessions where one of the two did not touch the ball altogether. Of course, shared touches aren't the only indicator of team chemistry — Lillard's gravity, after all, was one main reason why the floor opened up for Giannis on his drives — but one would hope that the two superstars would be involved in more varied actions together considering the talent level on the floor. 

Milwaukee's superstar duo still has time to figure it out

Fortunately for us, the problem may also have more to do with scheme than synergy. The offense when the two were on the court seemed to be just another round of "your turn, my turn" basketball, and fans didn't get to see many reps of the vaunted Dame-Giannis pick-and-roll that we've been waiting on for quite some time now. That's more strategy - and that boils down to coaching.

Whatever it is — maybe Rivers just doesn't want to show his hand, maybe they were taking it easy to prioritize health after the past few years they've had, or maybe a pick-and-roll would have disrupted the flow of the offense when the two played together in the preseason — the reality is this: for the Bucks to maximize their potential this season, developing an intuitive understanding between Lillard and Giannis is essential.

As the regular season approaches, it is crucial for Milwaukee to address these chemistry issues with urgency and intentionality. As things currently stand, Lillard and Antetokounmpo are both going to be on the starting lineup together. Rivers must experiment with different lineups and offensive sets to foster better collaboration between his star players. The stakes are high; fans expect nothing less than a deep playoff run after such a significant investment in talent.

While Lillard's resurgence is encouraging and suggests he is ready to reclaim his status as one of the league's elite guards, the Bucks' success will ultimately hinge on how well he and Giannis can coexist on the court. If they can harmonize their distinct styles into a cohesive unit, Milwaukee may well emerge as serious contenders for the championship this season. But until then, there remains one pressing question: Can they find that rhythm before it’s too late?