You better believe that the Milwaukee Bucks have struck fear into the hearts of their opponents now that they have successfully paired up Giannis Antetokounmpo with seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard. They gave up quite a haul to land one of the best point guards in the NBA today, but in the end, this massive risk could be all worth it for the Bucks.
Shannon Sharpe Has Harsh Reality for Milwaukee Bucks
It’s hard to deny that Milwaukee got much better now that Lillard is in the mix. However, if you ask ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe, the football Hall of Famer believes that the title of the best duo in the league does NOT belong with the Bucks pair:
“No. Individually, they might be the two best players,” Sharpe said. “… But I think the best duo is gonna be Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic because I saw them on display, and they’ve played together. Jamal Murray is going to be another year removed from that ACL surgery. We saw what he did in the playoffs last year.
”… Jamal Murray is only getting better and better. We thought the [Murray’s heroics in the bubble] was an aberation. No, he’s showing you, he’s that dude. He legit.”
It’s hard to argue against that. After all, as Sharpe argues, Jokic, Murray, and the Nuggets have a championship to show for it. They’re coming into the new season as the reigning champs, and you can be sure that they have every intention to defend that crown.
Stephen A. Smith Claps Back
Sharpe’s co-anchor, Stephen A. Smith, respectfully disagreed with his co-host’s hot take. At this point, it is clear that Stephen A is all in on the Milwaukee hype train:
“It’s going to be Dame and Giannis because of the locomotive that Giannis is on a night-in, night-out basis on both ends of the floor,” Smith said. “… The fact that he’s got somebody like a Damian Lillard, who we would be calling the best point guard in the league if it were not for the existence of Steph Curry … I got to tell you right now, Damian with Giannis, I can’t go against that.”
Molly Qerim: “Will Damian Lillard and Giannis be the best duo in the NBA?”
Shannon Sharpe: “No. Individually, they might be the two best players… But we saw what Jamal [Murray] and [Nikola Jokic] did in the playoffs last year.”
(via @FirstTake)
pic.twitter.com/N80PfWHifn— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 3, 2023
He’s not wrong either. In fact, it would not be a surprise if the Bucks and the Nuggets end up meeting in the NBA Finals this coming season. That should be fun.
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