"But here, it’s top to bottom": Damian Lillard highlights title culture in Milwaukee outlining better mindset and laser focus

For the better part of roughly the last decade, Damian Lillard was the biggest driving force behind the Portland Trail Blazers’ success. In 11 seasons in Rip City, Lillard helped the Blazers to eight postseason appearances. Portland had a 422-347 when he played and just 40-75 when he was out of the lineup during his tenure with the Blazers. He was unquestionably the leader of the team on the floor and in many ways its flag bearer off the court.

Now that he’s been traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, “Dame” finally saw how another team operates up close. After 11 years in Portland, he has been thrust into the Bucks’ way of things.

When asked in an exclusive interview by Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina about the different cultures, Damian Lillard said:

“The culture here is great. I felt like when I was in Portland, Portland was a great time for me and a great organization. But like you said, a lot of times I was out front with pushing the line on that. Obviously, everybody was a part of that. It wasn’t just me. But here, it’s top to bottom.”

Lillard continued to elaborate on his point:

“From the day I got here, the people I work with from the security to the front office to the people on the training staff and nutritionists to the assistants and video guys, everything is just so connected to where everybody is on point. That’s uncommon. That’s really uncommon to have it that way for everything to be so low maintenance and focused on the main thing. It’s encouraging.”

The Milwaukee Bucks last won the championship in 2021 and have been legit title contenders since Giannis Antetokounmpo’s emergence. When the two-time MVP is healthy, they’re always favored to have a deep playoff run or lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

With Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard has someone as obsessed as him as winning. The “Greek Freak” put the Milwaukee Bucks’ front office on notice when he told the media he wasn’t signing an extension just yet. He wanted to know if the team was as driven as him to succeed at the highest level. Antetokounmpo was open to the idea of playing elsewhere if Milwaukee’s top brass had shown signs of slacking.

The Bucks responded to that challenge by bringing in “Dame.” In Portland, the best they could do was give Jerami Grant a new contract and draft Scoot Henderson. The highly-touted rookie may turn out to be one of the best in the NBA but he’s not on the same timeline as Damian Lillard.

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Damian Lillard is looking to debut for the Milwaukee Bucks on the road against the LA Lakers

The Milwaukee Bucks are 1-1 in their preseason games. They won 105-102 against the Chicago Bulls and then lost 108-102 to the Memphis Grizzlies. Fans who were waiting to see Damian Lillard in a new uniform will have to wait until Sunday.

Bucks coach Adrian Griffin told the media after the loss to the Grizzlies that Lillard will debut for the Bucks against the LA Lakers. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who also hasn’t played in the preseason, is expected to play at Crypto.com Arena as well.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis could also be available for the Lakers in the said game. If the Lakers duo are confirmed to see action, Sunday will be must-watch TV for basketball fans.

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