3 Dangerous lineup pairings the Milwaukee Bucks must utilize in 2024-25
By Dalton Sell
The blockbuster Damian Lillard trade happening just days before last season's training camp put the Milwaukee Bucks in a tough spot.
Although they were thrilled to acquire the guard, the trade happening at the last minute altered how the Bucks operated as a team. The roster was built to complement a defensive-minded point guard like Jrue Holiday, but the sudden trade flipped things around completely, as Lillard has always been more of an offensive-oriented guard, and the team suffered because of it.
Now, knowing that Lillard would be leading the way, the Bucks had an offseason to act accordingly to prevent a repeat of last season's roster faults. All things considered, the team did a great job despite the limited resources they had. That said, let us highlight three brand new lineup pairings stemming from these moves that could be useful for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Damian Lillard and Gary Trent Jr.
This will almost inevitable be Milwaukee's new starting backcourt, as part of the free agency pitch to get Gary Trent Jr. in Milwaukee was likely handing him to two-guard job.
On paper, this is one of the most lethal shooting backcourt in the NBA. Lillard is one of the best deep threats the league has ever soon, shooting 37.1 percent on 8.4 3-point attempts per game during his career. Trent doesn't quite have that reputation, but he's still made a name with his shooting, having hit 38.6 percent of his career triples on 6.4 tries per game.
These two will make Milwaukee's spacing dangerous. If teams try to clog the lane to prevent Giannis Antetokounmpo from dominating down low, it would give either of these players more room to shoot from 3-point land. Considering Trent shot an incredible 51.3 percent on his "wide open" 3-pointers while Lillard was at 39.9 percent last season, per NBA.com, teams will likely pay if they are left open.
Yes, there are questions regarding how the defense will hold up in the backcourt. However, there's no denying how the sharpshooting they both bring to the table will elevate this offense. If they can both be at least serviceable defensively, this could be one of the best and most productive backcourts in the entire NBA. It helps that they already have on-court chemistry from their time in Portland.