Damian Lillard Opens Up On 'Difficult' Transition to Milwaukee

It took some time for Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard to get acclimated to his new city, and he recently noted on the Club 520 podcast that it was a tough transition.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) during game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Last offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks shocked the NBA Universe when they made a blockbuster trade for All-NBA talent Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers.

They made the move with hopes it could greatly increase their chances of bringing home the franchise's third NBA championship (1971 and 2021), but it ended in a disappointing first-round exit to the young and hungry Indiana Pacers.

Recently on the Club 520 podcast hosted by former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague, Lillard opened up on the trade with the Bucks, noting that it was a tougher transition than he expected for a multitude of reasons.

“It was a harder transition than I thought for real like just like I said because of my life (divorce) but then also like adjusting to playing with another great player (Giannis) and then also playing with Khris (Middleton),” Damian Lillard said on the Club 520 Podcast. “Khris is a great player too but he plays a certain way too, so I'm having to get used to playing with two players and I don't want to stop them from doing what they do, but I got to find how to be the best version of me within this too, so it was just a lot it, was a lot of moving parts, it was more difficult than I thought it would would be.”

It was evident that there were many factors that played a role last season when it came to Lillard getting acclimated to his new city, but given the rare talent that Lillard has possessed over a decorated 12-year career that's seen himself become an NBA All-Star eight times, one can only believe that his sophomore campaign with Milwaukee will yield much better results.

Bucks, Lillard hopeful for more sucess in year 2

Obviously, things didn't go according to plan for the Bucks last season primarily due to injuries down the stretch of the regular season and beyond. However, things are believed to be on the uptick now that Lillard has fully settled into his newfound home.

Coming off a solid year where Lillard averaged 24.3 points, 7 assists, 4.4 rebounds on 42.4% shooting from the field and 35.4% from deep over 73 regular season games as the No. 2 option behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, the current 34-year-old doesn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down despite being on the back end of his career.

With a full season now under his belt, the hope is that a second year with Antetokounmpo and Middleton will greatly boost the Bucks' chances to get back to competing for another NBA title in 2024-25.

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