Damian Lillard Praised by Bucks' Brook Lopez: 'He Just Makes Us So, So Much Better'
Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez is clearly a big fan of new teammate Damian Lillard based on his praise of him in the latest edition of the Bucks' All-Access docuseries (13:42 mark).
"He just makes us so, so much better," Lopez said (h/t Paul Terrazzano Jr. of TalkBasket).
"The things he can do. Offense that he brings. Obviously the shooting ability everyone knows, but the playmaking, just the attention that he's going to draw, he's going to get so many other people open. But then his leadership abilities, so many intangibles he brings are just right in line with what it means to be a Bucks basketball player. He lines up just perfectly."
It's easy to see why Lopez feels that way. Lillard, a seven-time All-NBA player, just averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game alongside 7.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds.
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team member landed in Milwaukee via trade in late September after 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Bucks had to give up a lot for Lillard, namely two-time All-Star guard Jrue Holiday, a 2029 first-round pick, a pair of first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030 and wing Grayson Allen.
But Lillard is certainly worth it. His presence takes a huge scoring and usage burden off fellow star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Plus, Lillard can easily lead the team in Antetokounmpo's absence if the two-time NBA MVP is forced to miss time.
The Bucks were already one of the favorites to win the NBA title before the Lillard deal, but now it appears to be a two-team race with the Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference title.
The C's reloaded this offseason as well, notably adding Kristaps Porziņģis to form a new big three alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But the Bucks have their own big three with Lillard, Antetokounmpo and three-time All-Star Khris Middleton, who enters this season healthy after playing just 33 games last year.
We'll soon find how the Bucks gel with Lillard aboard with Milwaukee set to open the season on Thursday versus the Philadelphia 76ers.
