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ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins isn't sleeping on Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and the Milwaukee Bucks ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, but they have a lot of work to do. As the anticipation for the upcoming season builds, many wonder how threatening the Bucks will be after their first training camp with veteran head coach Doc Rivers, who took over for former coach Adrian Griffin midseason. Just as Lillard alluded to in his NBA/WWE comparison, fans wonder how these Hall of Fame-caliber players and a head coach will respond collectively and individually next season.
How will the Bucks fare against the champion Boston Celtics and the rest of the Eastern Conference? Perkins delivered his take on how Milwaukee's star-studded duo has their work cut out for them, per NBA on ESPN.
“When the trade happened, I loved it. I still like it, I don't love it, right? Giannis and Dame gotta put it together. Doc finally gets a fresh start, meaning coming into training camp. How's Khris Middleton going to look? But, Dame and Giannis gotta deliver,” Perkins said. “One, they gotta stay healthy. But two, they gotta figure out a way how to maximize their two-man game.”
In doing that, Antetokounmpo and Lillard would take the Bucks to the next level if the superstar duo could tap into the kind of devastating two-man punch that led the 2023 champion Denver Nuggets.
“They gotta be Jamal Murray and Jokic; what they were two years ago,” Perkins added. “That's what I'm expecting out of them. That's why you have a training camp. I still like them. I just don't love them.”
The New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Indiana Pacers, who reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season, are a few other top contending teams expected to challenge the Celtics in the East.
Could this be Giannis Antetokunmpo's last season with the Bucks?
While NBA trade enthusiasts fantasize over the league's next blockbuster deal involving Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially joining Stephen Curry and the Warriors, he and All-Star Damian Lillard are entering their second season in Milwaukee together, and Kendrick Perkins is giving them the benefit of the doubt. This year's training camp will be their first under Doc Rivers. Perhaps early continuity between the three can spark a fast start for a successful season for the Bucks.
Last season's disappointing ending was a 4-2 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the playoffs. Antetokounmpo suffered a left calf sprain and missed the postseason, while Lillard missed Games 4 and 5 due to an injured right Achilles.
