Perennial All-Star Damian Lillard insists he’s still the same player that carved out a Hall of Fame career in Portland despite a disappointing first season with the Bucks.
“I’m not a player that’s breaking down,” Lillard told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in a subscriber-only story. “I live a clean, good, healthy life, so I can do it. I can do the same (expletive) I did two, three years ago. I can do it right now.”
The uncertainty surrounding Lillard was the biggest story of last offseason. Lillard was expected to be traded to his preferred destination, Miami. Instead, the Trail Blazers dealt him to Milwaukee.
After averaging a career-best 32.2 points per game in 2022/23, his scoring output dropped to 24.3 PPG in his first season with the Bucks. That was to be expected, considering he was teaming up with another superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo but his shooting percentage was just 42.4%, including 35.4% on 3-point tries, well below his career averages.
“I think when the trade happened everybody was like, ‘Well, Milwaukee’s gonna win it,’ and I think when it didn’t always look the way they wanted it to look or thought it was gonna look, and I wasn’t looking how I looked in Portland, it was like, oh, what’s going on with Dame? Why is Dame not doing this?” he said. “But when for a greater part of the season I was still averaging about 26 points. Like, if you really think about that – what standard do y’all hold me to if I’m scoring 26 points and averaging seven assists and I’m not feeling great? I’m going through a lot of stuff. That’s just the truth.”
Injuries took a toll. During various points of the season, Liullard was dealing with calf, ankle, groin, adductor and Achilles issues. He was also going through a divorce and had to deal with playing and living in a new city after the trade finally came to fruition.
“There was a lot of change, a lot of stress, you know?” he said. “I think now, having an opportunity to get myself in order and kind of start pushing forward to next season.”
The oddsmakers peg the Bucks fourth among Eastern Conference teams heading into 2024/25, behind the defending champion Celtics, Sixers and Knicks. That’s just fine by Lillard as he continues to chase his first ring.
“The fact that we’re there and we’re under the radar is perfect because they’re gonna think nothing of us and then they’re gonna be like…You gotta face the truth, eventually. That’s how that usually works,” he said.
Unfortunately, defense is not part of what he did two, three years ago.
Nor the rest of the NBA
“I live a clean, good, healthy life, so I can do it. I can do the same (expletive) I did two, three years ago. I can do it right now.”
Cope some more, old man. Dame is 34 next season and his entire game is centered around speed and he has had leg injuries…like come on man, no you are not who you were from 2013-2021…delusional…
Preach Davey J. Nothing worse than trying to hold on to yesterdays memories as Davey J knows better than most.
Bron says you’re an A ole ….
This is the same clown who thinks he’s a better shooter than Curry.
I don’t remember a single person saying the bucks were going to win it all because they got Lillard. I remember people saying “who’s going to play defense?”… something that still hasn’t been answered.
Delusional doesn’t even begin to describe it.
I expected the Bucks to be worse with Lillard. You don’t trade away a defensive wiz of a point guard and replace him with a defensive liability and expect to be better.
Holiday could never score or run the offense in the playoffs. His defense wasn’t getting them back to the Finals and in fact was getting torched by Jimmy Butler the last time he was in a Bucks uniform. This revisionist history is dumb.
He does not think that lmao no one in their right mind would think they are a better shooter than Stephen Curry
If he doesn’t think that, why is he on film saying as much?
Thanks Dame and Milwaukee….yours sincerely, all Boston fans.
“You gotta face the truth, eventually. That’s how that usually works,” he said.”
That he could say that line with a straight face is hilarious.
Not mentioned in the article is that Damian Lillard plays absolutely no defense. Bucks should have just kept Holiday.
True !! But so many are impatient nowadays. I think they felt they went as far as they could with that group.
Holiday is very good but Damian Lillard can win a game for you. They figured the defense was good enough and they needed a game changer. One single guy that can carry a team over the top like we’ve seen year in and year out in Portland.
I think they just went for it instead of settling for being a contender every year. They tasted winning once and wanted it again. They took a big gamble. It still might work out?
I think it was more about keeping Giannis happy so he would stick around long term than the actual desire to acquire Lillard. But he was available and they needed a big move and that’s that. Their options were pretty limited.
While I do think they may be better during the regular season (better chemistry and stability at head coach), I still don’t see this as a team which will truly scare anyone in the playoffs. And with the new CBA, paying an aging guy like Dame over 50 million/year is no great. But, hey, he’s still Dame and maybe has a comeback year or two still left in him.
Health and avoiding the steep aging curve are gonna be the biggest factors for the Bucks. If they can avoid those issues across the board, there is some optimism for this season.
Overlooking them because they were injured each of the last three postseasons is certainly a choice.
And now they will be four years older on top of being increasingly injury prone. So, yeah, not sure why anyone would give them the benefit of the doubt even if it’s not impossible for them to surprise.
@rct Bucks should have kept Holiday and paid him $30-$40 million over the next four years??? And this whole narrative that Lillard is old and the Bucks decided to get older in the Dame trade when Holiday is literally a whole year older than Dame is laughable. Holiday is a great complimentary piece, not a No. 2 option on offense. He fits well with the Celtics because he is not the focal point of any offensive set, and can just focus on doing everything else BUT scoring. I don’t care if Holiday happened to be the best defensive player in history, you can’t win an NBA championship if Jrue Holiday is your number 2 scoring option (with Middleton hurt); they had to make the trade. Holiday looked AWFUL in the playoffs on offense with Middleton out. He was constantly forcing EVERY SHOT. If you have a chance to upgrade your PG position from a great defensive player to a Top 75 player of all time and it only costs you one first round pick (After the likes of Rudy Gobert going for five firsts) YOU DO IT. It’s a no brainer.
Lillard isn’t a top 75 player… LOL
He put up big offense numbers on a bottom dweller team with no other offense. He’s never been a winner and now that he’s on a team with expectations the world is crashing around him.
Lot of backdoor comments…..32 down to 24 going from all career bw8ng the only option to side by side with Giannis.
Stfu, dude played good and had to adjust to being number 2 the first time in his career. Most of you have a long way yo making it to 30 let alone have any career near what hes had.
So being the second option aka having less attention on you made him struggle and shoot 35% from 3? Lol
If you want to insult people, maybe try speaking in English. I have no idea what this drivel is.
Seriously bad choices made by this franchise… not valueing Holiday really looks like it is costing them, but their decisions regarding coaches have been baffling…Wander how many more years Giannis will put up with this franchise
I think they valued Holiday. Look what they gave up to get him in the first place. And they won a championship with him.
But they didn’t win it again. They grew impatient and heard about all the talk of multiple Stars to win it. So they went for it.
I think it still could work out for them, the East is wide open. With Giannis anything is possible.
Bucks sure didn’t value Holiday enough.
Holiday had to be the 3rd and sometimes 2nd best player with the Bucks. That is not his game.
Boston he is the 4th sometimes 5th option. He truly just has to worry about defense, Tatum was the leading assist guy and playmaker.
Lmao what an awful take, he signed an extension not even a year ago. You’re conveniently forgetting that he was injured each of the last two postseasons. And also that they clearly had reached their ceiling with Holiday, who couldn’t even shoot as well as Eric Bledsoe in the playoffs, then got torched by Jimmy Butler in his last series as a Buck.
Sure he is. Unless time is linear.
Bucks biggest mistake was firing Griffin, that stpry is still very weird, they had a great record with him and firing someone because he wasnt AT FIRST playing Brook Lopez at drop coverage doesnt cut it, something else happened that wasnt revealed
The players didn’t like him. Giannis didn’t respect him. He’s a bad coach.
@Brabo The Bucks biggest mistake was hiring Griffin in the first place. He obviously wasn’t great at relationships, which is something that is important for a HC to be good at. Look at George Karl. If he wasn’t such a monumental jerk, he probably would have won a few championships. They also were pretty quick to pull the trigger on firing Bud. They lost to the Heat because Giannis was injured that whole series, and maybe didn’t coach at his best because he brother had literally just passed away.
Sorry Damian Lillard! Something about posting one’s thoughts, opinions & JUDGEMENTS get people off. And then they will defend them to the end. Somehow satisfying. Of course, you know yourself better than they do. Good example will be Klay Thompson this year. Many have written him off; can’t play defense they say.
Dumb comment.
Klay is cooked. He’s done. Maybe try watching a game before making posts insulting the opinions of others.
When ur not the first option anymore that happens. I dont see it working out between giannis and lillard not a millions chance this is going to work.
They haven’t even played a playoff game together, my goodness. The hot take jakes are everywhere today.
If he’s not breaking down, why has he missed so many games over the past few seasons?
I’d bet a small amount of money he misses around 20 games this coming season with breaking down-type injuries.
They played how many games together last year? Why are you moving the goalposts to “playoff games”?