The Milwaukee Bucks are poised to take the NBA by storm in 2023-24 with their newly formed duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The Bucks acquired Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers to give Antetokounmpo a long-awaited legitimate number two option, and the move has led many to proclaim Milwaukee as the championship favorites heading into the season.

Antetokounmpo, for his part, is keeping expectations reasonable considering the circumstances.

“We haven’t won anything,” said Antetokounmpo, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “There’s going to be a lot of hype around us, but we haven’t done anything. We haven’t even played a game yet … So, we can talk about it all day, but at the end of the day, our actions speak louder than words. But we have an opportunity to do something great, and that’s exciting for me.”

Antetokounmpo went on to reference other all-time great NBA duos and how the Bucks can reach those heights.

“But Kobe, Shaq, Kareem, Oscar, those [duos] are great,” said Antetokounmpo. “Those are all-time greats. And the reason they’re all-time great is because they won. So, if you want to even join the conversation, we have to win. So, right now, we’re not in that conversation.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard certainly have the potential to join the ranks of elite historical NBA duos, if nothing else. While it may take some time for the two stars to mesh, the talent is clearly there. Fans will get their first regular season look at the pair when the Bucks open up their 2023-24 campaign on October 26 against the Philadelphia 76ers.