Three-point specialist Damian Lillard, who orchestrated a trade to the Bucks before this season was in the fans’ crosshairs for his beyond lackluster defensive performance in the most recent Milwaukee Bucks’ game against the Tyrese Haliburton-led Indiana Pacers.
In their first game for the year, Giannis and the Bucks played the Pacers at home earlier in an attempt to improve their season record to catchup with the young Celtics.
Shameful defense gets Damian Lillard roasted
Brought into the Bucks earlier this year, Damian Lillard teamed up with Giannis Antetokuonmpo in order to challenge for the former’s maiden NBA Championship. The two stars amidst multiple hiccups have co-existed in a modest manner leading the Bucks to the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
One of the major concerns raised when Dame was brought to the Bucks was his lack of effort on the defensive end of the court. In the past with the Trailblazers, Dame played a purely offensive game which was complemented by defense from the supporting cast of the team. However, in the Bucks, Dame’s defensive duties weren’t something he could shy away from.
In order to bring Dame home, the Bucks were forced to give up elite defender Jrue Holiday which added the pressure of defense on Dame, considering the elite threat-nullifying capabilities of Holiday. Those shoes were too big to fill for Lillard, who’s abysmal defending against young star Tyrese Haliburton came to light in the Bucks’ first game of the year. As the Pacers beat the Bucks, 122-113, Lillard was caught lacking by the star from Indiana.
The elite point guard is seen simply standing in front of Haliburton, who cleverly hesitated while on his way to the basket. While defense is a statistic hard to keep track off, it was quite fascinating to see Lillard offer little to no resistance to Haliburton’s offensive move.
Fans were quick to react to his folly as they took to X, giving their brutal opinions regarding the superstar’s awful defensive effort. One user said, “Dame with the the worst defense I’ve ever seen”.
Another fan wrote, “The way Dame just froze on that Hali hesitation… Tonight cemented the fact we need another point of attack defender. If I’m John Horst I’m on the phone asking about Alex Caruso tonight,” asking the Bucks front office to sign a player with defensive attributes.
A netizen seemed to question Dame’s seriousness as a basketball player.
In the loss to the Pacers, the Bucks’ point guard scored 13 points but had a disappointing shooting performance, going 3 for 16 from the field and making only 1 three-pointer out of his nine attempts behind the arc. In contrast, his fellow superstar, Giannis, effortlessly led the offense with 30 points in a losing effort. The Milwaukee Bucks are hopeful that Damian Lillard’s defensive contributions will significantly improve; otherwise, they may be compelled to explore defensive options in the January NBA window.
Dame yet to fully embrace his role
The former Trailblazers legend is yet to embrace his role with the Bucks as the secondary superstar. The Bucks brought along Dame in order to establish a reliable secondary scorer and elite playmaker for Giannis to play alongside.
While the introduction of Lillard may have reduced their defensive capabilities, they brought him along with the hope that he would empower the Bucks in the offensive aspect. Apart from his inconsistencies which were on display against the Pacers, Dame has empowered the Bucks this season alongside Giannis.
This season with the Bucks, the star is averaging 25.5 points per game along with 6.8 assists per game, a stat line he can be proud of, considering this is only his first season with a new team and new setup. The only cause for worry is his lack of defensive structure, a feature he does not really specialize in.
In his time with the Bucks, the former Blazers superstar will hope to learn a thing or two from monster defender, Giannis Antetokuonmpo and help cater to the defensive needs of his team. The Bucks continue their quest for another championship with Giannis and Dame as their leaders.
What do you expect from Damian Lillard this season? Do you think the Bucks were wrong to trade away Holiday in their charge for Dame? We are keen on knowing your thoughts, so please let us know in the comments below.
