The Bucks and Lakers have two of the best duos in the NBA but which one has the advantage over the other?
The Milwaukee Bucks made the most shocking trade in recent memory when they acquired superstar point guard Damian Lillard to pair with former Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks are the favorite in the Eastern Conference with this trade and many teams, including the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns, have been scrambling to find better ways to compete.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers are returning with their superstar duo, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, leading the charge for a chance to win the 18th championship for the Purple and Gold franchise. There is no doubt that the Lakers are one of the few teams that can challenge the Bucks in terms of superstar duos, but which one has the advantage?
It is time to compare Milwaukee’s duo with Los Angeles’ and provide a full comprehensive analysis about which one is better. Is the pairing of Giannis and Dame simply too talented when stacked up against the imposing presence of LeBron and Davis? Time to find out.
Scoring
Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP, is a scoring force in his own right, relying heavily on his athleticism and ability to drive to the basket and finish with authority. Last season, The Greek Freak posted 31.1 points per game on 55.3% shooting from the field without having a consistent outside jumper. Lillard, on the other hand, is known for his deep three-point shooting and clutch scoring and is coming off a season posting 32.2 points per game.
In contrast, LeBron James, with his extraordinary basketball IQ and versatile s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s, can score from anywhere on the court and is renowned for his playmaking ability. Anthony Davis, a dominant forward-center, can post up, hit mid-range shots, and protect the rim. James averaged 28.9 points per game while Davis chipped in 25.9 points per game.
The Bucks have a better duo offensively because of how well Giannis and Dame complement each other. The former is a force in the paint and the other is one of the game’s greatest shooters. LeBron James is aging and only shot 32.1% from deep last year while Davis’ offense comes and goes while only shooting 25.7% from three.
Antetokounmpo and Lillard are more consistent offensively, in their primes, and complement each other perfectly while James will be 39 years old and Davis is unreliable when it comes to putting up big scoring numbers. As a result, Milwaukee has the edge in scoring.
Advantage: Milwaukee Bucks
Shooting
Shooting is arguably the most important aspect of the modern NBA offense. Giannis Antetokounmpo, while improving his jump shot, still primarily excels in the paint and at the rim. His mid-range and three-point shooting remain areas for growth, and he relies heavily on his athleticism and driving ability to score. Damian Lillard, on the other hand, is renowned for his exceptional long-range shooting. He’s a threat from well beyond the arc and can score in bunches with his deep three-pointers. Lillard shot 37.1% from three last year and can single-handedly take over games from the arc.
In the Lakers’ corner, LeBron James possesses a versatile scoring arsenal. While his three-point shooting has improved over the years, he’s particularly effective at driving to the rim, posting up, and hitting mid-range jumpers. He struggled from three, however, nailing 32.1% in the regular season and only 26.4% in the playoffs.
Anthony Davis, a frontcourt powerhouse, is not known for his long-range shooting but excels in the mid-range game. He can pull up for jumpers or take advantage of size mismatches to score in the post but he also struggled from deep in the playoffs, nailing only 33.3%.
Ultimately, when it comes to shooting, the Bucks’ duo leans more towards perimeter scoring with Lillard’s remarkable three-point range, and the point guard makes the difference in the end.
Advantage: Milwaukee Bucks
Defense is overlooked in the NBA, but it still exists. The reliance on switching and versatility is far more important than strict one-on-one defense and aggression, meaning more energy is spent on the offensive side of the floor. Since Jrue Holiday is no longer Milwaukee’s point guard and Damian Lillard replaces him, the defense won’t be as strong. Lillard is not a great defender and can sometimes be a liability due to his height (6’2”).
Of course, Antetokounmpo can make up for that as a former Defensive Player of the Year and a dominant two-way player. Averaging 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game for his career, The Greek Freak can legitimately defend all five positions on the court. Even with Lillard acting as a defensive downgrade from Holiday, Antetokounmpo upholds the dominance of the duo.
LeBron James won’t be playing as much defense in the 2024 season as he did in the past because he already has a heavy responsibility in terms of playmaking and being an extension of Darvin Ham on the court. Still, at 6’9”, James can defend most modern bigs without a problem. The key to the duo on defense is obviously Anthony Davis. He averaged 1.1 steals and 2.0 blocks per game last year, but questions about his motor made his numbers get overlooked.
While Davis is an elite defensive player when he wants to be, Antetokounmpo is an elite defender every second of any game. He is more consistent, more versatile, and makes up for Lillard’s defensive deficiencies. However, it is hard to argue against the Lakers’ raw size and this means this category is even.
Advantage: Even
Rebounding
Rebounding is important for any team that wants to win championships. The Milwaukee Bucks will be a force on the boards thanks to Giannis, who posted 11.8 rebounds per game in 2023. Lillard is a solid rebounder for his size, posting 4.8 last season, but he can’t be on the same level as LeBron James for obvious reasons.
The Lakers have the rebounding advantage because Davis posted an impressive 12.5 rebounds per game last season along with 14.1 in the playoffs. He is one of the best rebounders in the NBA by far and he is bolstered by LeBron James’ 6’9” presence. The King can haul down 7.0 rebounds per game as he pleases and he will make the Lakers a force in that regard.
Due to pure size and dominance on the boards, the Lakers gave an easy advantage over the Bucks who will need the likes of Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis to help out on the boards to make up for Lillard’s size as a standard point guard.
Advantage: Los Angeles Lakers
Athleticism
Athleticism is always going to be a tough category to deal with when talking about the Bucks and Lakers in this comparison. The Bucks have two of the most athletic players at their positions at once and so do the Lakers. The difference is: which duo can make the most out of their athleticism over an 82-game season and the playoffs.
The answer has to be the Bucks. Giannis is 28 years old and one of the most freakish athletes we have ever seen in terms of running, jumping, and moving at his size. Lillard’s athleticism is often overlooked because he is only 6’2”, but he is extremely fast with the ball, and handling him on the break or in the half-court when Giannis is inside the paint can be over𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁.
The Lakers have size for days with Davis and James, but the former is injury-prone and is known to not handle knocks that well. The latter will be 39 years old and we are already seeing slight changes in jumping and verticality from James which is to be expected.
Since there are some doubts about the Lakers’ duo due to their fragility and age, the athleticism edge has to go Milwaukee’s way since both of their stars are in their prime right now.
Advantage: Milwaukee Bucks
Efficiency
Efficiency is another difficult category to compare with since each star is effective in what they do. However, we will need to focus on what each All-Star does best according to their s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 sets in an efficient sense.
Giannis is a monster when it comes to efficiency, finishing with a 55.3% field goal percentage and 29.0 PER, which ranked third in the league behind Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. He is unstoppable inside the paint and always makes the right play when it comes to scoring, playmaking, or defense.
Similarly, Lillard is efficient at his position because of his high-octane offense and clutch ability. Lillard’s PER was 26.7 last season which is very high for a player who had to carry Portland’s offense. The point guard also shot over 37% from deep which will absolutely work in the upcoming campaign.
LeBron James is arguably the most efficient superstar the game has ever seen because of how high his basketball IQ is. James shot 50.0% from the field last year and only shot under that mark eight times in his 20-year career. James’ PER as a 38-year-old was 23.9 which is certainly impressive for a player out of his prime.
Meanwhile, Davis is known to have off nights and that could harm the Lakers’ duo in terms of all-around efficiency. The big man’s PER was spectacular last season (27.8), but the reason he does not give the Lakers the edge is because of his inconsistency over a campaign. Still, the Lakers and Bucks are similar in terms of efficiency since James is simply too consistent.
Advantage: Even
Winning Intangibles
The Los Angeles Lakers have been there and done that. LeBron James and Anthony Davis won the 2019-20 championship together and made it to the Western Conference last year. LeBron is also one of the best leaders the game has seen and will have been through the high and low moments in critical games before meaning he can lead the charge.
Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo and Lillard have yet to play with each other before this preseason and will need time to figure out how to win. Giannis has won before but his playoff resume pales in comparison to LeBron’s. At the same time, Lillard has never made the NBA Finals and it will be wrong to place him ahead of Anthony Davis in that regard.
In the end, thanks to LeBron James’ incredible leadership ability and the fact that he has won it before alongside Anthony Davis, the Lakers have the edge in winning intangibles and nobody should be able to argue that point.
Advantage: Los Angeles Lakers
The Milwaukee Bucks Have The Best Duo In The League
In the end, based on the full comparison, the Milwaukee Bucks have the better duo. The Lakers take the edge in rebounding and winning intangibles but cannot compete with Milwaukee’s scoring, shooting, and athletic ability. The Lakers will have to rely on a 39-year-old LeBron James and an injury-prone Anthony Davis while the Bucks have two of the top 15 players in the world at their absolute primes right now.
Not to mention, Giannis Antetokounmpo might be the best player in the league next year and has the best two-way impact in the world. He finished third in MVP voting last season and could finish in the top three again in 2024. Antetokounmpo and Lillard complement each other perfectly in terms of an inside-outside presence and won’t have to deal with age and attrition as much as James and Davis do.
Milwaukee will be more consistent in scoring the ball, spreading the floor, and also using their incredible athleticism to push the pace and feed off each other. Los Angeles has two dominant forwards, but there are too many questions about their health, age, and consistency when talking about a championship duo. That means based on our full comparison, the Milwaukee Bucks have a better duo than the Los Angeles Lakers and they are the favorite to win it all in the 2024 season.
