MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – MARCH 17: Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks celebrates during the … [+]
For most of the season, Damian Lillard has struggled to find his outside shot with his new team, the Milwaukee Bucks. As fan anxiety began to rise the longer this went on, Lillard constantly urged patience and reminded everyone that he had been doing this for over a decade. He preached that he would find a solution in due time.
Although the calendar flipped to 2024 and then February before he found his chance, he proved once again that his calm wisdom was true.
Through February 24, Lillard shot just a measly 33.9 percent on 8.5 three-point attempts per game. If that number had held, it would have been the second-lowest three-point percentage in his 12 seasons in the NBA. However, starting in the Bucks’ Feb. 25 game against the Philadelphia 76ers, he found his shooting stroke from the outside.
Since then, he has shot 43.5 percent on nine threes per game. That ranks seventh among 20 sharpshooters who have averaged at least eight threes during that span (you see, it takes a special breed of player to not only roll that many threes every game, but also to connect to it at a high rate).
Not all three are created equal. This is especially true for Lillard and the amount of defensive attention he attracts. Even when she shares the court with Giannis Antetokounmpo, opposing defenses constantly trap and double-team him, hoping to take the stone out of his hands. He rarely has an open shot and has to create most of his threes on his own.
The barrage of crossovers, hesis, step-backs and sidesteps, he hits a defender with his mesmerizing sound, unless you’re the defender. He is the walking definition of a good offense beating a good defense.
Since February 25, he has made nearly seven pull-up 3s per game and knocked down a whopping 45.1 percent of them (he had made just 34.2 percent on 5.5 attempts previously). Luka Doncic is the only player who has taken more, and he’s connected at a 10 percent lower rate. Among the 31 players who have completed at least three pull-ups from behind the arc during that span, Lillard ranks first in percentage.
It’s refreshing to have the “Old Lady” back after the roller coaster he’s experienced on and off the field since arriving in Milwaukee before the start of the season. It appears his hard work and commitment to the game is paying off at just the right time for the Bucks.
They are locked in a battle for the second seed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Entering Thursday’s game, Milwaukee had a one-game lead over the Cavs, but they don’t have the tiebreaker. That means they need to finish ahead of them to gain home-court advantage in the second round of the playoffs.
Milwaukee can’t sleep with the New York Knicks either. This is a tenacious team that continues to find ways to win despite mounting injuries. They’ve suddenly won four games in a row and are only 2.5 games behind the Bucks. The Orlando Magic, who have also won four straight and eight of their last ten games, are just three games back. It will be a fight until the end.
The good news for the Bucks is that they have Dame back “back.” His red-hot shooting, coupled with the hopefully healthy return of Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, should allow the Bucks a few weeks to experience life as a full-fledged team before the playoffs begin. Milwaukee could finally find out what it has with a fully healthy roster, and that means scary times ahead for the rest of the NBA.
