Bucks Zone

Damian Lillard explains why he's been having success as of late

Damian Lillard shares what he told coach Adrian Griffin that sparked his recent surge.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
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The Milwaukee Bucks easily became the prohibitive pick to win it all when they were able to acquire seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard in the offseason. Amid the high expectations, the Bucks didn’t get the start that they had envisioned when they got off to a so-so 2-2 start, with the two losses coming by way of blowouts.

The slow start was attributed to Lillard’s struggle to mesh with his new teammates. Dame's poor start included a measly six-point performance in Milwaukee’s 110-127 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks on October 29th.

Starting to figure things out

But things have changed in the past few games. Lillard has been putting up big numbers, and the Bucks have won their last four games to improve to 9-4 on the season.

Lillard fired 37 points and dished off a season-high 13 assists when the Bucks defeated the Toronto Raptors, 128-112, on Wednesday night.

The veteran playmaker scored 27 in their 130-99 trashing of the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

Following his back-to-back superb games, Lillard disclosed what changed in the last couple of contests that made him so effective.

The change that Lillard needed

According to Damian, he approached coach Adrian Griffin and asked him to allow him to play the entire first quarter, something that he was used to when he was still with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Griffin gave in to Lillard’s request, and that served well for the Bucks in the past few games.

“I think that has been real helpful the last couple of games because it gives me more time to see the coverages and see what's happening and be able to assert myself. I’m able to have more impact on the direction of the game and also get myself going a little bit better that way,” Lillard said shortly after their lopsided win in Charlotte.

Lillard sustained his strong showing when he scored 27 points and tallied 12 assists when the Bucks pocketed their fourth straight victory via a 132-125 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.

The improved chemistry between Lillard and his new teammates has been evident in the last three games, where he tallied a combined 30 assists.

Lillard is averaging 24.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.1 steals on the season. Those may not be eye-popping numbers, but with Griffin starting to figure out how to utilize his All-Star point guard, things are starting to look bright for the Bucks.

Damian Lillard says getting the win vs. the Dallas Mavericks was all that matters

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.