Damian Lillard’s move from Portland Trail Blazers to Milwaukee Bucks panned out right at the figurative buzzer. The Blazers’ Front Office finalized the deal just days before the 2023-24 NBA season started. The general feeling at the time was that joining forces with Giannis Antetokounmpo would give Dame the right resources to contend for a championship. Unfortunately, his first season for the Mid-Western side played out differently.
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During a media interaction on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Doc Rivers broke down the reasons behind it.
The Bucks played well throughout the regular season, but Lillard was not performing at his best. His scoring went down drastically compared to the previous season with the Blazers. Rivers believes Lillard’s dip was due to a lack of connection with the teammates.
The Bucks coach said, “Dame came in just two days before camp. It just lends itself to not having great team connection.”
Rivers also underscored that Lillard was expecting to go somewhere else. At the time, every single trade report projected him going to the Miami Heat. The eight-time All-Star also wanted to be a part of the Miami franchise too. So the move to the Bucks was sudden and unexpected for Dame as well.
In addition, he wasn’t in the greatest of shapes either. “My guess is Dame thought he was going somewhere else…Was not in great shape. Could not do some of the things that he wanted to do. When I got here you could feel that from him. Then the injury thing,” Rivers added.
The Bucks HC believes that the injuries that his players suffered further curtailed their chances of getting to know each other better.
"It just lends itself to not having great team connection."
Doc Rivers is confident this season will be a lot different for Damian Lillard and the whole team@TheFrankIsola | @Scalabrine pic.twitter.com/QILNnedMYs
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 22, 2024
The Bucks finished third in the Eastern Conference and got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers. Lillard averaged 24.3 points per game in his first season for the Bucks, a massive drop compared to his 32.2 per game for the Blazers.
This year, the squad has nothing to give as excuses. Fans will be eager to see how the Milwaukee side competes against Boston, Philly, and New York in the East.
Rivers compares the Lillard situation to his experience with the Clippers
Players not getting enough time to connect can certainly harm the team’s chances of making a good run in the season. Rivers understands it very well because he has been in similar situations before. The 63-year-old recalled his time with the Clippers where he went through the same problem.
He said, “The one year that I had Kawhi [Leonard] and PG [Paul George], I always go back to that year. They practiced three times that season together. So, how are you gonna ever have any connection, even as a group.”
While things didn’t pan out the right way last time, Rivers is confident that his group of ‘Young Bucks’ are prepared this time. He said that he can feel the connection in the team for this season and they’ll have a better chance this year.
