With 39 ‘clutch’ points, Lillard leads the NBA, and the Bucks have a 125.4 offensive rating when it matters most.

In a sit-down interview with Bleacher Report shortly before the season began, Giannis Antetokounmpo shared an eye-opening statement with his new superstar teammate, Damian Lillard.

“I’m about winning, I’m about sacrifice, I’m about putting the work in each day,” Antetokounmpo stated. “I have faith in him. In other words, even if I’m here, this is his squad. It makes no difference what others think. His team is this one. He must take the lead since, in the end, he has to feel extremely at ease in order to feel successful.”

The first month of the season has shown that, despite his pandering, there was some truth to what Antetokounmpo was saying. The Bucks turn into the Lillard show in late-game scenarios, as the seasoned guard has elevated their clutch offence to astonishing new heights.

This season, the Bucks have already engaged in six “clutch” games, which are those in which the score is tied or within five points with five minutes left. They have a 125.4 offensive rating and are 5-1 in those games. That is tied for the fourth-most effective clutch offence and the second-best winning percentage in clutch situations. Appropriately, their lone defeat occurred after Lillard missed time due to a calf injury sustained against the Indiana Pacers.

Here’s how the Bucks’ clutch offence under Lillard stacks up against past campaigns, going all the way back to Antetkounmpo’s rookie MVP performance.

“End of the game for me, personally, I think at that time of the game you gotta have the ball in the hands of a good decision maker and someone that’s a threat to the defence,” Lillard claimed. “And I am aware that I will be perceived as a threat by any defence we come across. At that point, whether I’m making a play, scoring, or getting fouled while attempting a free throw, I think I can finish the job. That strikes me as a really good alternative for us.

One of the best closers in the league for a long time, Lillard made an immediate impression on opening night by scoring 14 of the Bucks’ final 16 points to comfortably defeat the Philadelphia 76ers. One of the main reasons the Bucks made the move was to have him for those crucial moments, especially during the playoffs, so it comes as no surprise that he has enhanced their clutch offence.

The extent to which everything flows through him when the game is on the line, however, is a little unexpected. Among players who have participated in at least five clutch games, he ranks sixth overall with a 44.6% usage rate, second only to Donovan Mitchell.

In contrast, Antetokounmpo ranks 51st in the league (with a clutch usage percentage of 27.8%), trailing only players such as D’Angelo Russell and PJ Washington.

Antetokounmpo stated, “I’ll be honest with you, I’m not used to it in that capacity.” “It was give and take, like it was normally when Malcolm [Brogdon], Jrue [Holiday], or Khris [Middleton] had the ball in the closing moments. I had the ball for two or three possessions after they had it for two or three. I don’t have to touch the ball at all for the next three, four, or five minutes.

“I’m not used to that, but I think I can grow into the best version of myself because of all the new things this team is doing and because I’m stepping outside of my comfort zone. I’ve been playing outside of my comfort zone the entire season. It relieves a lot of pressure and attention from me to have a player that can have the ball down the stretch and make plays, create for himself, go to the free throw line and create plays for us, so I’m delighted about that.”

It has been simple for Antetokounmpo to accept being a secondary option late in games because of Lillard’s dominance and the success of the Bucks. And Lillard has been really in control.

Lillard has not given up a single turnover while scoring 39 points on 9 of 17 field goals and 17 of 18 free throws in 23 crucial minutes spread over five games. He has also dishevelled three assists. This season, Lillard has scored the most critical points of any player in the league. When he plays those minutes, the Bucks are 5-0 and have a plus-30 point differential.

Brook Lopez said, “He’s going to make the right play, the right decision.” “Those are the intelligent, pensive basketball guys I’m referring to. I’m confident a positive result will result if you bring up Dame so much.

The most praise is given to Lillard’s 3-point shooting, and it is amazing how many different ways he can make them. He is now drawing up off a high-screen, dribbling hand-off, and isolating into a step-back.

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On these plays, though, his ability to move downhill into the paint may be more crucial because it gives him the opportunity to score easy points at the free throw line or the hoop. During crucial moments, he has attempted more free throws than any other player—18 total—and he has only missed one.

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Despite his preference for scoring goals, he is also more than willing to make the perfect pass.

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Although the Bucks’ first month of the season hasn’t always been ideal, they have won four straight games to increase their record to 9-4 and are currently tied for the fifth-best record in the league, mostly because of Damian Lillard’s outstanding play in close games. However, Antetokounmpo has frequently carried them across the finish line even though he has been the one to do so.

They have both had to adapt, but they are beginning to understand one another better.

The horse is his, Lillard declared. “I hope he wins four or five MVP awards and achieves other similar accomplishments. I’m here to win, but I’m also here because I’ve got a lot of personal success and game victories. Even while there will be certain nights when it looks like my performances in Portland, our victory won’t always look like that.

He is the horse, and I will lead the charge, take the burden, and control the quarter in which we play. Or in the final five or six minutes, you can count on me to seize the initiative and make the most of those since those are my prime times. It needs to strike a balance where we both enhance one another and come out on top.”