Bucks star Damian Lillard explained how Doc Rivers intends to bring out the best in the superstar point guard.
The transition from being the Portland Trail Blazers’ guy to a secondary option for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks It hasn’t really been the smoothest. For Damien Lillard. His numbers are down across the board, and the offensive upgrade he’s brought to the team has been more or less a wash with his largely Jrue Holiday defensive downgrade.
However, as of late, Lillard’s play has improved; Bucks fans now see the guy who tore up the nets with the Blazers and the guy who had one heck of an All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. On Monday night, with Antetokounmpo out due to injury, Lillard led Milwaukee to an exciting game. Comeback victory 113-106 against the Los Angeles Clippers, losing 41 points.
With a new head coach Doc Rivers Slowly shaping the Bucks in his image, the veteran head coach places emphasis on using Damian Lillard in a much more familiar way so the team can help bring out the best in the general superstar floor.
“So when he [Doc] came in, he said to me, “Aren’t you running this?” Aren’t you the one running this? Like, this is stuff we hated keeping from you. And he slowly started implementing some of these actions. You know, I think it helped me settle in even more,” Lillard said in his postgame statement, via Gabe Stoltz of SB Nation’s Brew Hoop.
Despite as much criticism as Doc Rivers’ hiring has brought to the Bucks franchise, these words from Damian Lillard will put these restless fans at ease. Rivers may not be the best coach to lead a team into the playoffs with his track record, but with the Bucks, he is able to recognize that Lillard will be the key to unlocking this current team’s ceiling.
Lillard was long overdue for this kind of explosion; His 41 points against the Clippers mark a significant turnaround from his combined 33 points on 9-32 shooting over the last two games. And with the 33-year-old point guard starting to feel more comfortable, the league better watch out for these Bucks.
About the Author
Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he is a very sports-traumatized person. He now writes about sport as a form of therapy.
