If you ask Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard, the NBA In-Season Tournament has been a success. I mean, anybody who’s in the semifinal of the league’s inaugural tourney would probably be pretty happy with the format of the competition.
Dame does admit, however, that there is one thing he would like to change.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Damian Lillard Wants 1 Major Change in IST
Lillard had nothing but good things to say about the IST. He implied that he probably would have designed the format the same way if he were in charge. Dame, however, would like to do something about the prize money:
“It’s not much that I would change off the top of my head,” he said. “… I think it’s pretty solid. The only thing that I could think of is just the prize. What can we do to up the prize? That’s it.”
The reporter then clarified if the Bucks point guard meant more incentives for the winning team or if he was talking about the cash prize. He made his view abundantly clear:
“Money,” Lillard said plainly. “I mean, that’s how you gonna get people to… sweeten the pot.
More Incentives?
Others have suggested that another way to motivate teams is by rewarding the IST winner with draft compensation or perhaps better odds for the postseason. For his part, Lillard isn’t ready to take it that far:
“But I wouldn’t say give somebody a playoff spot based off of this,” Lillard said. “A lot of things can change from now to playoff time. “
"I would like to see better designs for the courts."
Dame has one change he'd like to see for the NBA In-Season Tournament. Giannis gives his thoughts as well. #FearTheDeer #NBA pic.twitter.com/re5Hx9t8mx
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) December 7, 2023
$500,000 is the prize that’s at stake for each player on the champion team. You can be sure that Lillard and the rest of the Bucks are going to do everything they can to get that in their pockets.
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