When the Milwaukee Bucks acquired Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers last summer, many people were excited to see what he could bring to the team but others were also nervous about his lack of defensive power.
Speaking on Patrick Beverley’s podcast, via NBACentral, Lillard opened up about his defense.
“I play defense when I have to, but I’ve been in situations where I haven’t had to,” Lillard said plainly.
"I play defense when I have to, but I've been in situations where I haven't had to."
-Damian Lillard’s message to Pat Bev after showing improvement on defense
(Via @PatBevPod ) pic.twitter.com/M6xEbQZtto
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 4, 2024
That isn’t the sort of statement Bucks fans want to hear.
Instead, they want Lillard to pledge to play strong defense during every single game, no matter who he is playing against.
This is especially true because Milwaukee’s biggest problem is its defense.
Throughout the season, even the most diehard fans have admitted that the Bucks are letting other teams get away with too much and haven’t definitively figured out their defensive schemes.
But maybe things are turning around for the Bucks because they have been looking a lot better lately.
They have won five games in a row, not losing a single game since the All-Star break.
They have climbed back up to the second spot in the East with a 40-21 record.
During those five games, Lillard has averaged 20.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Lillard’s numbers have declined in many ways this season, including his point totals, his assists, his rebounds, and his field goal and three-point percentages.
Some of this was expected because he is playing with a brand new team that has a completely different roster.
The addition of Lillard was seen as a way to get the Bucks back to the NBA Finals this year but they will clearly have to battle hard for the rest of the season if they want to make that happen.
And Lillard and the rest of the team will have to continue to work on defense.
NEXT: NBA Team Is Undefeated Since The All-Star Break