Milwaukee Bucks fans expected Damian Lillard to be the missing piece who would help Giannis Antetokounmpo win his second NBA title with the team. While they put together a strong effort in the 2023-24 regular season, the Bucks eventually bowed out to the Indiana Pacers in the first round.
While some fans may feel like Lillard underperformed in his debut campaign for the Bucks, it’s hard to deny that Dame is still the best players to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo for the coming campaign. The franchise and their fanbase need Dame to play better as the Warriors are seriously pursuing of their star man.
To further drive home the point that Dame needs to step up his game next season, one analyst points out that the number of doubters on his and the Bucks’ chances to win the Larry O’Brien trophy are increasing.
Analyst: Damian Lillard must play better for the Milwaukee Bucks after being ranked low among the league’s No. 2 options
Behind the Bucks Pass’ Dalton Sell reported that Ben Rohrbach ranked Dame Time as the 10th-best second option in the league. For a player who has amazed fans and frustrated opponents with his outstanding offensive play, the ranking is a slight on his performance.
He further argues that Lillard will most likely use this slight as fuel to perform better and return to his form during his final year with the Portland Trail Blazers:
With all of the doubt and talk of him being “washed,” the guard should be motivated to prove his doubters wrong. While he may never see this ranking, if he were to check it out, it should put a chip on his shoulder, as should every other ranking this offseason that has disrespected Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The only way to eradicate the doubt is to win, and that should be everyone’s primary goal.
It’s understandable why Rohrbach ranked Dame so low after the outstanding swan song he had with the Blazers. Lillard averaged 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.0 assists through 73 games. These numbers were far from the outstanding numbers he was putting up during his final year in Portland (32.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 7.3 APG).
If Lillard manages to reach at least 90% of his 2023 production in the coming season, the Bucks will be a difficult team to take down.
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