THE Milwaukee Bucks made a successful trade for Damian Lillard Portland Trail Blazers last season, hoping to return to the top, but that ended in a disappointing first-round exit to the Indiana Pacers partly due to injuries. open on the trade to the Bucks, saying it was a more difficult transition than expected for multiple reasons.
“It was a tougher transition than I thought it would be, like I said because of my life (divorce), but also adjusting to playing with another great player (Giannis) and playing with Khris (Middleton),” Damian Lillard said on the Club 520 podcast. “Khris is a great player too, but he plays a certain way, so I have to get used to playing with two players and I don’t want to stop them from doing what they do, but I had to figure out how to be the best version of myself in that environment, so it was just a lot of moving around, it was tougher than I thought it would be.”
Obviously, there were a lot of factors at play last season. for the Bucks when it comes to helping Lillard acclimate to the team. It will be interesting to see if Lillard and the Bucks get a little boost in Year 2.
Bucks, Damian Lillard hope for better results in year two
It didn’t go as planned for the Bucks Last season, the Lillard trade brought in Jrue Holiday, a key part of Milwaukee’s championship team, to the Eastern Conference contender Boston Celtics. While Lillard is in the latter stages of his career, the hope is that another year with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton will help the Bucks reach another level.
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The Bucks have the talent to be a top contender in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics have earned the right to be the favorites to reach the NBA Finals next season, but Milwaukee is in the next category of teams that could potentially challenge Boston. The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers are two teams that are also considered to be in that category, with other young teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers further down the list.
The biggest factor for the Bucks this season is Lillard and how he performs in his second year with the team.
