On Monday, CBS Sports revealed its top 25 players in the Eastern Conference. Of course, there were a lot of familiar faces on the list, including Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard.
The eight-time NBA All-Star was ranked 12th on the list, behind guards Tyrese Maxey (#11) of the Philadelphia 76ers, Donovan Mitchell (#7) of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tyrese Haliburton (#6) of the Indiana Pacers and Jalen Brunson (#4) of the New York Knicks.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Damian Lillard Has Something to Prove in 2024-25 Season
In an article dedicated to Lillard, James Herbert presented two opposing views on the former Weber State star.
The glass-half-empty view of Lillard’s first season in Milwaukee: He tore apart the Bucks defense, struggled to adjust to the No. 2 role, and his production dipped, which isn’t particularly surprising for a 33-year-old point guard. The glass-half-full view: Despite having to adjust to a novel team, a novel city, a novel role, and two novel coaches, Lillard put up about his career averages during the regular season and had a couple of gigantic games in the playoffs (after a groin injury) before aggravating an Achilles injury.
I’m leaning toward the hopeful view, given that Lillard’s final season in Portland was the best of his career, and he’ll have a much more normal offseason this time around. (He told Doc Rivers he’s not in shape for 2023-24, having only done lithe workouts last summer out of concern about getting injured while waiting to be traded, according to Rivers.) Yes, Lillard turned 35 in July, but he was 10th on this list a year ago. Don’t be surprised if he makes this ranking look rude.
In his first season with the Bucks, Lillard put up 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 73 games. He shot just 42.4 percent from the field and shot 51.0 percent from the field — both below par for his career. But there’s hope that Lillard will be better this upcoming season, given the factors favoring him this time around, including a longer prep with the Bucks ahead of the novel campaign.
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