Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo Gets 100% Real on How Damian Lillard Has Changed His Mindset Entirely

At this point in the season, it’s hard to deny that Damian Lillard has made the Milwaukee Bucks a better team. Arguing against this notion is made even more difficult by the fact that Dame just came out with an eye-opening 41-point performance on Monday to lead a Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Bucks side to a huge comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

For his part, Giannis is adamant that Dame does not only make the Bucks a more formidable side but equally important is how Lillard makes Antetokounmpo an even better player.

Milwaukee Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Credits Damian Lillard for Mindset Shift

Giannis is the first to admit that he used to strive for perfection — to a fault. He has, however, now come to accept that this is simply an impossible objective. Lillard’s arrival has significantly impacted Antetokounmpo’s mindset shift.

“I feel like I’m just over myself,” he said, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I have an all-time great teammate (in Damian Lillard) that I have to pick my spots. I cannot be all over the place anymore. It’s not just me out there. I have a guy that can score at will, anytime he wants.”

Giannis went deeper into this change in perspective and how it has worked wonders for him in terms of helping him achieve his full potential:

“I know that sometimes I’m going to get to my spots, sometimes I’m not going to get to my spot, sometimes I’m going to have a good game, not a good game,” he said. “Sometimes I’m going to play well, sometimes I’m not going to play well.

“Like I don’t try always to be this perfect guy. You cannot be perfect. Especially when you play the game. You cannot always be perfect. It’s human performance. Human performance means that you’re gonna make mistakes! Nobody; you cannot be perfect. You’re going to miss free throws, you’re gonna air ball free throws.

“But like, can you be OK? How can you be OK with yourself? And I think I’ve got to a level where I’m just OK with myself, you know? But that doesn’t mean that I’m not competitive. That doesn’t mean there’s no pressure. You want to win. I want to win. I play to win. But, if this guy (next to me) has 35 points in the fourth quarter and I have zero, I’m OK with it, because at the end of the day the goal is to win.”

I believe that’s what they call maturity