In order for the Milwaukee Bucks to pull off the blockbuster three-team trade with the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers to acquire superstar guard Damian Lillard, the team had to sacrifice their best perimeter defender, with veteran Jrue Holiday being involved in the deal.
Holiday was sent to the Blazers as part of the deal, but he wasn’t there for long as the team was intent on moving him, which they ultimately did, sending him to the Boston Celtics.
That move must’ve been painful for the Bucks as Holiday made the Celtics a more complete team and changed the league’s championship odds, with Boston now sitting at the top ahead of Milwaukee.
Obviously, Lillard is a player who can elevate a franchise to the next level, especially when playing alongside fellow superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, but he’s not known for his defense, and he’s the first to admit that fact, as he did on Media Day via Justin Garcia of the Bucks Radio Network and NBACentral.
With Antetokounmpo, Lillard, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez, the Bucks are an offensive juggernaut with arguably the best offense in the league, but without Holiday, it remains to be seen how this team plays defense and whether they can keep opponents from lighting up the scoreboard on a nightly basis.
Obviously, Antetokounmpo is one of the best defenders in the league and always in the running for NBA Defensive Player of the Year, while Lopez has also come on strong in that category, but only time will tell how good this team can be defensively during the 2023-24 campaign.
