Even though the numbers dipped during his first season playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, Damian Lillard remains one of the league’s best players. This is evidenced in HoopsHype top 100, a list with the All-Star guard in it.
The Bucks are gearing up for the 2024-25 NBA season with a renewed focus on team chemistry, particularly as Lillard aims to enhance his synergy with stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. After a disappointing exit in the playoffs, the team has made significant changes, including hiring Doc Rivers as head coach, to improve their on-court dynamics.
Lillard showed promising potential when paired with Antetokounmpo and Middleton, contributing to a strong offensive output. Their combined scoring and efficiency during shared minutes indicate a solid foundation. However, Lillard’s adjustment to his new role hasn’t been without challenges, particularly concerning the team’s defensive performance, which saw a steep decline last season.
With new additions like Gary Trent Jr., Delon Wright, and Taurean Prince, the Bucks are looking to bolster their roster and revitalize their defensive capabilities. The coaching staff faces significant pressure to deliver results, especially in light of past playoff failures.
As the upcoming season approaches, the Bucks’ ability to cultivate strong relationships among their key players will be crucial. If they can effectively blend their offensive talents while improving defensively, Milwaukee could position itself as a serious contender for the championship. The focus now shifts to how well Lillard integrates into the team’s established system and contributes to their overall success.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Damian Lillard Ranks 21st in Latest HoopsHype Top 100
Just recently, HoopsHype released its list of Top 100 best players in the NBA. As analyzed by Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon, Dame is in 21st place.
As such, Lillard struggled to an extent, posting the third-worst VORP and BPM of his career while averaging 24.3 points and 7.0 assists on 42.4 percent shooting from the floor. It speaks to how brilliant Lillard has been in his career that those numbers are seen as a drop-off in play for him. What was concerning was seeing Lillard’s three-point percentage falter to 35.4 percent from the floor last season, also the third-worst mark of his career.
Regardless, we expect Lillard’s three-point accuracy to return to more normal rates next season (he’s at 37.1 percent for his career), which will help him return to previous borderline All-NBA levels. Further buoying our belief in a Lillard bounce-back is the fact that he shot 67.7 percent from within three of the basket in 2023-24, the highest mark of his career and one indicative that he’s still got something left in the tank athletically.
Last season, Lillard averaged 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.0 assists. Even though he was seen as having a bad year, the numbers don’t lie and the guard was still a positive impact for Milwaukee.
It remains to be seen whether Lillard will get the revenge tour to prove his doubters wrong or not. In any case, Dame still has what it takes to prove he deserves to be among the best players in the NBA.
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