The ESPN panel has spoken. The Top 100 players in the league have been named, and five of them happen to come from the Milwaukee Bucks.
A lot of fans will be interested to know how new recruit Damian Lillard fared on this year’s iteration of the much-talked-about ranking, so here we are.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Damian Lillard Ranked No. 14 Overall
Bobby Portis (81), Brook Lopez (69), Khris Middleton (46), and of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo (1) were all part of the Top 100. This speaks volumes of how much talent the Bucks have under the same roof.
The addition of seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard via an offseason blockbuster trade makes this roster even more formidable, to say the least.
The folks over on ESPN consider Lillard to be the No. 14-ranked player in the NBA. Incidentally, this is the exact same ranking he got last season. Even ESPN admits that Dame outplayed his ranking last year when he averaged a career-best 32.2 points in 58 games played for the Portland Trail Blazers before he was shut down at the tail end of the season.
Whether or not Dame will be able to outplay his ranking again this term remains to be seen.
For what it’s worth, Jrue Holiday, who is now with the Boston Celtics, sits at No. 26 on the Top 100.
2 Key Factors That Influenced Dame’s Ranking
According to ESPN, there are two major factors that prevented Lillard from getting a higher ranking for 2023-24. The first of which is his age.
Dame is now entering his 12th season in the league. He is 33, and there’s no denying that the former Rookie of the Year is now entering the twilight of his career. The fact that he’s played just 87 games over the course of the last two seasons surely played a role in his ranking as well.
The second major factor in Dame’s ranking is the fact that he’s now teammates with Giannis. Antetokounmpo is the No. 1 player in the NBA according to ESPN, and Lillard will undoubtedly need to go through an adjustment period with his new team and his new teammates.
Giannis has already stated that he wants Dame to be Dame, but that’s obviously easier said than done.
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