When Giannis Antetokounmpo stepped in front of a microphone in the corner of UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center on Friday to recap the Bucks’ five days in California to open training camp, he made it very clear what he was excited about.
“I just want the games to start,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m here for the games.”
Big mood. pic.twitter.com/JDAhrA56j9
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) October 4, 2024
On Sunday, the Bucks’ first preseason game arrived, but it did not include Antetokounmpo. While the rest of the Bucks played against the Detroit Pistons, Antetokounmpo and three-time All-Star Khris Middleton were inactive Sunday. And after a white-hot start to the game, Milwaukee lost 120-87 in an ugly affair that featured distinctly different first and second halves.
In totality, the game was a bit of an eyesore, but there were three important takeaways for Bucks fans. Let’s take a closer look.
Damian Lillard looks spectacular in limited minutes
When Bucks starting point guard Damian Lillard took the stage at media day last Monday, he told reporters that his teammates and coaches were going to get the “real version of me” this upcoming season. The suggestion, of course, was that while Lillard averaged 24.3 points and 7 assists per game last season, he had even more to give in his second season in Milwaukee.
On Sunday in Detroit, he showed off what that version of his game might look like.
The 34-year-old guard scored the Bucks’ first basket on a dribble handoff from Pat Connaughton on a sidelines inbounds play.
Lillard scored or assisted on the Bucks’ first 17 points on Sunday as the starters ran out to a 24-6 lead before a timeout with 6:51 left in the first quarter that led to substitutions for each team. While Lillard’s first triple came on a catch-and-shoot look, his next three 3s came off the bounce as he orchestrated the offense and waited for the Pistons to give him an inch of space to fire off another shot.
And while his impressive 3-point shooting stood out most, Lillard also showed off his playmaking ability with four assists in his 17 first-half minutes, which included this pretty drop-off to Brook Lopez on a first-quarter drive.
It’s unreasonable to expect that Lillard will hit 66.7 percent of his 3-point attempts this season, as he did when he went 4 of 6 from behind the line Sunday. But Lillard has knocked down 3s at a much higher clip in previous seasons than he did last season when he hit 35.4 percent. And while better long-range shooting would be a welcome sight for Bucks fans, the assist to Lopez might be an even better example of the potential of Lillard’s second season in Milwaukee.
With a better idea of what Lillard likes to shoot and how he wants to get to those shots, as well as a greater understanding of the passes he throws and how he will throw them, the Bucks should be able to improve on how they get the most out of Lillard this season.
Gary Trent Jr. suffers left elbow hyperextension
The No. 1 goal for every team is getting through the preseason schedule avoiding any additional injuries to rotation players and entering the regular season with full health. Late in the second quarter, the Bucks saw their starting shooting guard go down in a heap after getting screened by Pistons center Jalen Duren.
After Doc Rivers called a timeout, Trent eventually got up off the floor and made his way to the locker room for further examination.
Shortly after, the Bucks informed reporters that Trent would not return to the game after suffering a hyperextension of his left elbow. The Bucks had no further update following the initial designation on Sunday night, so it will be necessary to keep an eye on Trent moving forward.
Trent started for the Bucks on Sunday and knocked down two of his three shot attempts to put up five points before being forced to exit the game with his injury.
The good news for the Bucks is that the team’s season opener is still more than two weeks away on Oct. 23 in Philadelphia. So, if Trent needs to miss some time he won’t immediately be missing regular-season games. If Trent does miss some regular-season action, the Bucks have multiple players already in the rotation — Pat Connaughton, AJ Green, Delon Wright — who could help cover for his absence.
Offense limited as Rivers installs his vision
The Bucks looked amazing on offense with Lillard running the show and the team shooting the lights out from deep in the first quarter, but their effectiveness waned in the second quarter. It fell apart completely in the second half. After scoring 57 points in the first two quarters, the Bucks managed only 30 points combined in the third and fourth quarters.
Those struggles were somewhat related to personnel, as Rivers did not use his starters in the second half and leaned heavily into the bottom of the roster for the final 24 minutes. But it may also have been affected by where the Bucks are in their process of installing what they’re trying to do this season.
“Our guys are still relatively new to each other, new to me,” Rivers told reporters before Sunday’s game. “We’ve only put our early offense in. We haven’t put one set in. And we’re very happy with where we’re at.
“That’s how you use these games, just to kind of progress and get that in and then you start progressing even more offensively. We have very little in offensively. That was intentional. It’s not like we’re behind or anything. We want guys to play more with the pass, with movement, so you just judge that. What the first game gives you is film, if you want to be honest. That’s about it.”
While veteran players with high-level scoring ability can still score when given limited structure on the offensive end, it can be more difficult for young players and players largely used to playing off of the Bucks’ stars offensively. Players like Lillard and Bobby Portis, who put up 16 points and knocked down 4-of-5 from 3 in 14 first-half minutes, can lean on their strong isolation scoring ability or simple actions to create small advantages for themselves to fire off an open look.
Creating good looks and open shots in that environment is not going to be easy for young players and role players, especially when Rivers and new Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff coached very different games. Rivers used 18 players on Sunday, and none were on the floor for more than 18 minutes. Conversely, Bickerstaff played six of his top seven players 20 or more minutes and gave most of his rotation players minutes into the fourth quarter.
All in all, it led to an ugly second half for the Bucks, but it provides plenty of room to grow heading into their second preseason game on Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
(Photo of Damian Lillard: Chris Schwegler / NBAE via Getty Images)
