Damian Lillard Shares Message As He Continues To Struggle With The Bucks

Damian Lillard sent a message after the Bucks' stunning loss to the Grizzlies.

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Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Damian Lillard’s debut season with the Milwaukee Bucks hasn’t quite gone according to plan. On Thursday night, the Bucks suffered arguably their most embarrassing loss of the 2023-24 season, as the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies beat them 113-110. Following the defeat, Lillard put out a story on Instagram.

Damian Lillard

That quote is attributed to former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It implies, of course, that if everything is going smoothly, you’ll never really hone your skills and get better. Unfortunately for the Bucks and Lillard, the seas have been a bit too turbulent.

The Grizzlies were without Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Marcus Smart, but they still somehow managed to beat the Bucks. Lillard’s poor play also certainly played a part in that result.

The eight-time All-Star had 24 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal, but went just 7-21 from the field and 3-13 from beyond the arc. Lillard especially struggled in the fourth quarter, going 1-8 from the field, and 0-4 from three. He just hasn’t looked right for long stretches this season and, the Bucks have suffered as a result.

For the season, Lillard is now averaging 24.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 42.3% from the field and 34.1% from beyond the arc. The expectation was that the 33-year-old would thrive because Giannis Antetokounmpo would draw a lot of attention, but that hasn’t exactly been the case.

This defeat to the short-handed Grizzlies comes on the back of a blowout loss to a Miami Heat team that was without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier. Those alarm bells are starting to ring louder, as Milwaukee has dropped to 35-21.

Head coach Doc Rivers blasted the Bucks after the humiliating loss to the Grizzlies. Rivers implied that some of his players had already checked out, as this was their last game before the All-Star break. The pressure on Doc is starting to grow as well, as the Bucks are now 3-7 since he took over.


Damian Lillard Shared He Is Going Through A Lot Off The Court

As if going to a new team after spending his entire career with the Portland Trail Blazers wasn’t challenging enough, the superstar guard has been dealing with some off-the-court issues as well. Lillard admitted he is going through a lot in his first season with the Bucks.

“As people we all know, you got to go home to your own stuff, everybody that can watch our games they go to their personal stuff, and it plays a part in how you do your job and how your every day goes,” said Lillard, via Yahoo Sports. “As much as I love basketball, and I love my job, I don’t care about it more than I care about my kids. Of course you carry it with you,” Lillard said. “People say, ‘When I hoop I ain’t thinking about nothing,’ but I’m not 21. I got three kids. I’m tight with my family and I’m going through a divorce.”

It is easy to sit here and say that Lillard should forget his troubles at home and just focus on his job. He is only human at the end of the day and the ongoing divorce proceedings do seem to be affecting him in a big way. He and his estranged wife, Kay’La Lillard, were college sweethearts, and they would have never imagined that things would fall apart the way they have.

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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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