The Damian Lillard saga made for one of the biggest stories of the most recent NBA off-season. His trade from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Milwaukee Bucks was strung out over months, which included other teams like the Miami Heat being involved. But the Bucks ended up being the one to nab the star shooter, and he is the second-leading scorer on the third-place team in the Eastern Conference.
NBA: Lillard Struggling From Deep In 2023-24
Damian Lillard plays basketball today pic.twitter.com/dVc2YEdGeM
— DameMuse (@DameMuse0) February 12, 2024
But Lillard hasn’t quite looked the same this season. Things started out a bit slow for him in Milwaukee, as he learned to play in a new uniform with a new system, but the Bucks were able to stay afloat. One of the parts of his game that has been lacking so far in 2023-24, though, is the trait that he is most well-known for.
He has of course been overshadowed by Stephen Curry during his career, but Lillard is one of the best three-point shooters that the NBA has ever seen, and certainly one of the most clutch. But he’s struggled in that department through the first 50 games that he’s played in, shooting 34.4% from beyond the arc, which would be the lowest mark of his career since his third season in the league when he shot 34.3%.
Even Giannis Is Shooting At A Higher Clip In 2024
3-point percentages in 2024 :
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 30.2%
Damian Lillard: 29.6%Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/mq6DxdVlKc
— Bucks Muse (@BucksMuse) February 14, 2024
The low accuracy rate has not only taken him off of the 3-point leaderboards this year, but he is being out-shot by nearly everyone on his own team. There are currently 10 rotational players on Milwaukee’s roster that have a higher accuracy rate from deep, with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 25.5% being the worst. In fact, during the 2024 calendar year, Giannis (30.2%) is shooting at a better clip from deep than Lillard is (29.6%).
While the Bucks acquired Lillard in order to put them over the top in order to compete for an NBA Championship, they look like they are far from being the best team in the Eastern Conference. They floated around in the top-3 for much of the first couple of months of the season, and they actually occupy third place at the current moment. But the Celtics have created a sizable gap, as they are now up a full 8 games on Milwaukee heading into the All-Star break. The Cavaliers, who are in second place, are two games better.
The Bucks will play one last game on Thursday night before the break, and will take on the Memphis Grizzlies on a TNT broadcast. Milwaukee is favored by 11.5 points.
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