Damian Lillard made a big debut in Milwaukee, leading the franchise to a win with 39 points. As the new car smell wears off, Lillard had one of his worst games in recent seasons as the Bucks lost 127-110 to the Hawks.
Lillard scored just six points on 16.7% shooting from the field and had six turnovers, prompting fans to react in absolute shock over the numbers.
Damian Lillard tonight:
6 points
16.7% FG
6 turnovers
-29 pic.twitter.com/pW0LEn9ahO
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 30, 2023
Despite this being just Lillard’s second game in Milwaukee, internet trolls are already declaring that he’s failing on the Bucks.
https://twitter.com/DurantMuse_/status/1718800015500497009
More fans joked about Lillard having to play in China after a performance like that.
https://twitter.com/DurantMuse_/status/1718799765146608002
One fan hilariously said that Lillard ran to the grind instead of away from it.
Ran to the grind
— Colin (@Draftdayy) October 30, 2023
Dejounte Murray received huge praise for his sensational defensive work on Lillard this game.
Dejounte locked that boy up
— Cuervo (@joe_cuervo) October 30, 2023
Some fans were not happy about the Bucks being predicted as the favorites to win the East, with this game giving them ammunition to dismiss Milwaukee’s title chances.
But the Bucks already won the Eastern Conference?
— Ben (@TheHurricaneBen) October 30, 2023
More fans attacked the Bucks as a whole.
Bucks fraudulent run already over
— rockRockedRock (@rocked_rock) October 30, 2023
Jaded Heat fans used this opportunity to joke about their new find Dru Smith being better than Dame.
Dru Smith better?
— 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 (@HeatvsHaters) October 30, 2023
Even with this stinker, Lillard is averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists through two games. Performances like these are bound to happen throughout a regular season, but the Bucks need to find better ways to adjust instead of just letting opponents outscore them.
Their defense disappeared as they gave up 127 points to the Hawks even with Trae Young misfiring a fair amount. Giannis Antetrokounmpo, in particular, needs to be more aggressive in trying to get his team a win when players like Lillard are struggling. his 27 points and 11 rebounds show that he tried, but attempting only 14 shots shows he could have done even more.
The Bucks Figuring Out Their Play Style
It’s just been two games in the regular season and we don’t have a clear indication of how the Bucks intend to play this season. The Hawks’ game shows their defense may not be as reliable as it was last season with no Jrue Holiday or Grayson Allen. Their offense is much improved, but if Lillard has games like the one he had today, it will make games nigh impossible for the Bucks to close out.
With Khris Middleton still not 100% back from injury, missing today’s game, the Bucks are still not playing at their highest capacity. The only thing that we know for sure is that Giannis wants Dame to lead the team and be the primary offensive option on the franchise.
“Winning, I’m about sacrifice. I’m about putting the work in each day… I might be here, but this is his team. It doesn’t matter what people say.”
That idea backfired today, so the Bucks need more contingencies in place. Usually, a player like Middleton would have been very useful in today’s loss to the Hawks. His lack of availability will be a concern throughout the season, as rookie head coach Adrian Griffin tries to imprint his style onto this team. The defense isn’t living up to the hype just yet.
The Bucks head into a crucial rivalry matchup against the Heat tomorrow in a back-to-back, so if Dame plays, he’ll hope to ball out against the team he initially wanted to play for before ending up in Milwaukee.
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