MILWAUKEE — It’s no secret that Damian Lillard’s first season with the Milwaukee Bucks was disappointing.
The trade that paired Dame with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo drew a lot of attention. Sure, losing rock-solid Jrue Holiday hurt, but the Bucks got Lillard, the longtime explosive scorer who would help Milwaukee regain its rightful place as an NBA title contender. In Season 1, it didn’t work out.
Untimely injuries to Dame and Giannis doomed Milwaukee to playoff failure. Worse yet, Holiday won another championship in Boston.
Yes, Dame’s scoring average dropped by nearly eight points per game — tangible proof that he’s the Bucks’ second scoring option after Giannis — but Lillard was an NBA All-Star for the eighth time.
Marc J. Spears, a journalist at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, is among Dame’s supporters. This week’s Hear District podcast Along with Bucks legend Marques Johnson and NCAA champion Kris Johnson, Spears said he expects a big rebound from Lillard.
“I think Dame is going to have a breakout year. I think with Dame, what’s happened to him off the field, I certainly know he’s been through a lot of pain with the transition in his life, with the change in his life with his relationship, not being with his kids, and coming to a new city for the first time… so I think you’re going to see a better year from him. Not that he wasn’t great last year, but I think he’s going to be on a revenge tour.”
– Marc J. Spears
Spears noted that Lillard’s recent workouts with American endurance athlete David Goggins are proof that he intends to come back better than ever.
“He listens,” Spears said of Lillard. “He hears. He processes. I think him and Giannis [Antetokounmpo] are going to be very scary together. Giannis just needs to stay healthy.”
