Pressure on Damian Lillard for 2024-25 Season.
According to NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins, Damian Lillard is facing immense pressure heading into the 2024-25 NBA season with the Milwaukee Bucks.
After a disappointing 2023-24 campaign where the Bucks were eliminated in the playoffs despite acquiring Lillard, Perkins believes simply making the playoffs or conference finals will not be enough for the star point guard.
Perkins argued that Lillard deserves the same level of criticism and pressure to win a championship as other superstar players of a similar age. He stated that the Bucks and their fans will be expecting Lillard to deliver a title this upcoming season.
The pressure is on for Lillard to lead the Bucks to championship contention after their early playoff exit last year. Perkins emphasized that Lillard will not be given a free pass and must produce at the highest level.
Lillard’s Individual Accolades but Lack of Team Success.
Damian Lillard has accumulated an impressive individual resume since entering the NBA in 2012-13. He has been selected to 8 All-Star teams and earned 7 All-NBA selections during his 11-year career.
However, Lillard has struggled to translate his individual brilliance into sustained team success. While the Portland Trail Blazers qualified for the playoffs 8 times during his tenure, they were only able to advance past the first round on 3 occasions.
The Blazers’ deepest playoff run under Lillard was reaching the 2018-19 Western Conference Finals, but they were unable to win a playoff series beyond that point. This includes missing the postseason in back-to-back years before Lillard was ultimately traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Despite Lillard’s individual accomplishments, his inability to lead the Blazers to consistent playoff success has been a point of criticism throughout his career. The pressure is now on him to translate his talent into a championship with the Bucks in the upcoming season.
Lillard’s Transition to the Bucks.
It will be interesting to see if Damian Lillard can find more success with the Milwaukee Bucks in the upcoming 2024-25 season. Last year, Lillard had less than a month between being traded to the Bucks and the start of the regular season to integrate with his new teammates.
Additionally, the Bucks made a coaching change during the season, replacing Adrian Griffin with Doc Rivers just 43 games into Griffin’s tenure. This upheaval likely contributed to Lillard’s underwhelming individual performance in his first year with the team.
In 73 games, Lillard averaged 24.3 points on 42.4% shooting from the field and 35.4% from three-point range. He also contributed 7.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.
However, with a full offseason to build chemistry with the Bucks, and the stability of having Doc Rivers as the head coach, the expectation is that Lillard and superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo can form a dangerous duo. As long as they remain healthy, the Bucks should be in championship contention throughout the 2024-25 season.
The key will be whether Lillard can elevate his play and help the Bucks translate their talent into postseason success after last year’s disappointing early exit.
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