Giannis Antetokounmpo signs three-year extension with Bucks worth $186M

Antetokounmpo posted his most productive season individually in 2022, setting career highs in points and rebounds per game. But despite securing the top seed in the East last year, Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee fell to the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. 

In response to that disappointing result the Bucks made some major changes. 

They fired head coach Mike Budenholzer and hired Adrian Griffin before shocking the NBA world by landing the highly-coveted services of Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. 

If Lillard and Antetokounmpo are going to lead Milwaukee back to the NBA Finals, they'll need to prove they can share the court. Both players finished in the top-five in the league in usage rate in 2022, with Giannis leading the NBA at 38.8%. Lillard has been a competent passer in his career so far, but this will be the first time he hasn't clearly been his team's top scorer. 

For the Bucks to reach their full potential, both players will have to show they're able to handle the other being the star of the show.

The best way for the two to work out the kinks is through time on the floor together.

After sitting out the first two preseason games, fans got their first glimpse of the Giannis-Lillard combination  on Oct. 15 when the two took the floor together for the first time against the Los Angeles Lakers. 

In their preseason finale against the Memphis Grizzlies, Giannis led the game in scoring with 26 points while Lillard had his most productive effort of the preseason with 19 of his own. 

Following a 108-07 win over the Lakers, Lillard and Antetokounmpo both shared their thoughts on sharing the floor for the first time. 

"I'll be very honest, I've never been this open," Giannis said according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I don't think I'm ever going to be mad at him. What he does for this team is so much you can never be upset."

Meanwhile Lillard addressed how he felt sharing the floor with someone who commands as much attention as Antetokounmpo. 

"First couple plays, they blitz me, they trap me and the guy that I'm releasing the ball to is Giannis. So I'm just like, 'Uh, we can do this all night?'" Lillard said. "We're going to have a lot of options."

The Bucks begin their quest for a third NBA title on Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers.