Bucks Zone

Damian Lillard says he made Pistons pay for their aggressive defense on him

Dame used his craftiness against his Pistons' defenders to drop 45 points.

Jonas Panerio

© Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
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An 11-year veteran, Milwaukee Bucks superstar guard Damian Lillard has seen every defensive coverage in the NBA. From box-and-ones to double teams, Lillard has faced it all. But during a recent game against the Detroit Pistons, Dame encountered a new level of defense to which he had to adjust.

The Pistons decided to be extra physical with Lillard, trying to disrupt his rhythm and limit his scoring opportunities. However, Lillard kept Detroit's aggressive tactics from getting the best of him. Instead, he used their aggressiveness against them.

Constant movement

Lillard’s awareness of how the Pistons were trying to defend him was crucial in his incredible 45-point explosion. He recognized that they were attempting to limit his ability to get open shots, so he focused on constantly moving and making the defense work. By doing this, the 33-year-old tired out his defenders and created open looks for himself.

“They were just really aggressive on the ball,” Lillard said. “They tried to be up into my body. In the film that I watched last night with my trainer, we just talked about just moving.”

Created space to work his magic

Aside from manipulating the hard screens his teammates were setting for him, Lillard also used his quickness and handle to create separation from his defenders. He used crossovers, step-backs, and hesitation moves to keep the Pistons guessing and off balance in the Bucks’ 141-135 victory on Saturday night.

“Moving my body with the ball more, instead of just trying to get off screens. Moving the defenders around. And just giving myself space to be able to attack downhill and to just cause a little bit of confusion. And I thought I did a better job of that,” Dame shared.

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Jonas Panerio
JONAS PANERIO