Giannis Antetokounmpo vows to win a championship with Damian Lillard

The Milwaukee Bucks are having a surprisingly difficult time this season. 

They recently fired first-year head coach Adrian Griffin, and Doc Rivers has struggled to figure things out in the opening games of his tenure. The addition of Damian Lillard has yet to pay the dividends everybody was expecting. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo appears to be remaining confident. 

During a recent interview with Cosmote TV, Giannis declared that he and Lillard will win a championship together, via Eurohoops.

“It’s a tough season, we changed four coaches in six months, it’s tough," Giannis said. "We traded Jrue Holiday, I won’t say I didn’t like it because Damien Lillard is now my teammate and with him we’re going to win the championship, but my best friend leaving, who was living two minutes away from me, is tough. We won the championship and we cried together. That part is hard, but the NBA is a business, we all understand that there are trades.”

Losing Jrue Holiday as part of the Lillard deal was a tough blow for Milwaukee. Holiday was a core part of the team's defensive identity. Rivers must find a way to get the star pairing of Giannis and Lillard to perform at an elite level.

A significant hurdle in achieving that goal is finding a role for Lillard on the defensive end. For all of the offensive wizardry Lillard can produce, he is susceptible to being hunted by opposing offenses. If Rivers wants to add a second title to his resume, that has to be the first part of the puzzle he solves. 

Giannis recently signed a three-year $175 million contract extension that takes effect in 2025. Milwaukee has time to figure things out. However, it needs to be cognizant that a contract doesn't guarantee a player will remain with the franchise. Keeping Giannis happy and contending at the highest level is the only way to ensure he and Lillard remain with the team. 

Winning a championship may be out of reach for Milwaukee this season unless it turns things around. Nevertheless, the Bucks have the talent to remain a contending team in the years to come.

Whether Antetokounmpo's proclamation comes true remains to be seen. What is clear is that the team needs to figure some things out if it wants to make a serious run at a title this season.