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The LA Lakers knew Damian Lillard was going to debut for the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. They know that regardless of where he plays, “Dame” remains one of the deadliest scorers the NBA has ever seen. Despite now wearing a different uniform and playing with new teammates, Lakers coach Darvin Ham wasn’t going to let his team’s defense relax on defense. He wanted the ball out of Lillard’s hands almost all the time.
The Lakers hosted Milwaukee in Lillard’s first outing with the Bucks. Despite being a preseason game, LA’s defense put out all the stops on “Dame Time.” After the game, Lillard had this to say about how the Bucks’ opponents decided to play against him:
(0:09 mark)
“The game was very simple. It was a matter of getting my wind up, just kind of getting my rhythm. They came out blitzing me from the very beginning, so it woke me up.
"It’s not something that I’m not used to. I’m used to getting blitzed. I’m used to having a lot of attention on me when I have the ball. I just wasn’t expecting it here, you know, right away.”
The LA Lakers might have wanted to test the Milwaukee Bucks’ chemistry early with Damian Lillard running the plays. Over the last three seasons, that job had fallen on Jrue Holiday. The two-time All-Star was the centerpiece of the three-team deal that allowed the Bucks to land Lillard.
LA’s surprise did do a little damage. According to new Bucks coach Adrian Griffin, the blitz forced Lillard and his teammates to be more passive. Griffin wanted his new superstar point guard to take more shots and be more aggressive.
Damian Lillard was under minutes restriction. He played 22 minutes and finished with 14 points, three assists, three steals and two rebounds.
Damian Lillard is excited to develop more chemistry with his new Milwaukee Bucks teammates
The Milwaukee Bucks wanted Damian Lillard to have more time with his teammates before letting him play. After sitting out the previous two preseason games, “Dame” was finally available on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena against the LA Lakers.
Lillard had a decent night. He wasn’t worried about how he would adjust, noting that some of Griffin’s setup was similar to his former longtime Blazers coach Terry Stotts. The seven-time All-Star added that chemistry was not going to be an issue as the season draws near:
(1:29 mark)
“I think my game complements the guys really well, so it’s been seamless. It hasn’t been hard at all. I think, right now, it’s a matter of playing against teams and get used to each other and how we operate out there but it’s been simple.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo played just 15 minutes. Lillard and the two-time MVP rarely played pick-and-roll basketball, which many expect is going to be the Bucks’ bread and butter on offense. Coach Adrian Griffin is probably saving those plays for games that matter.
Milwaukee Bucks fans should be excited with how Damian Lillard looked in his first game with the team.
