When the Milwaukee Bucks brought in Damian Lillard this summer via a blockbuster trade deal, the team knew what they were getting. They added an elite scorer who will take the squad’s offense to a whole different level as his partnership with Giannis Antetokounmpo is set to terrorize the rest of the NBA.
Milwaukee also knew, however, that their defense would take a significant hit after opting to give up All-Defensive guard Jrue Holiday in exchange for Lillard. So far, the Bucks have felt the full effect of the same early on in the season.
Analyst Destroys Milwaukee Bucks Star Damian Lillard
There’s no denying that Dame has been his usually dominant self on offense for the Bucks — at least for the most part. He was incredible in his Milwaukee debut, dropping 39 points all over Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. Lillard had another wonderful performance on Friday against the New York Knicks when he exploded for 30 points to lead the Bucks to their third win this season.
His defense, however, has been a totally different story. As a matter of fact, NBA analyst Brad Botkin of CBS Sports has completely decimated Lillard’s contributions on the defensive end:
“At the moment, to suggest Lillard is uncommitted to playing defense would be an understatement,” Botkin said (h/t Legion Hoops on Twitter). “In reality, the guy is playing some of the laziest, flat-out worst defense of his career… It’s been borderline disgraceful at times.”
That’s harsh.
The Bucks have been known for their elite defense through the years, and this is evidently something that they’ve lost this season — at least early on. Lillard obviously has had a lot to do with this significant dip, and he will be expected to improve on this particular facet of his game moving forward. Otherwise, the Bucks could be in deep trouble.
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