Damian Lillard issues defiant reminder to NBA ahead of new season

Damian Lillard's debut season with the Milwaukee Bucks wasn't the smash hit everybody expected. When Milwaukee traded for the All-Star guard, the concept of him and Giannis Antetokounmpo running a two-man game in the half-court was terrifying.

Lillard is a late-game assassin with a hunger to succeed at the highest level. Pairing him with one of the most physically gifted stars in the NBA was supposed to be a home run.

Unfortunately for the Bucks, there were issues elsewhere on the roster. Brook Lopez's decline and Khris Middleton's middling performances were among the most prevalent. Milwaukee's hope that the Lillard/Antetokounmpo pairing could gloss over its aging roster and limited depth quickly began to look like a pipe dream.

A first-round playoff exit for the second straight year has raised further questions regarding Milwaukee's roster construction and its ability to compete at the highest level moving forwards. There have also been some rumblings that maybe Lillard himself is on the decline. However, Lillard has defiantly refuted the notion that he's regressing with age.

“I’m not a player that’s breaking down,” Lillard told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in a recent interview. “I live a clean, good, healthy life, so I can do it. I can do the same s--- I did two, three years ago. I can do it right now.”

In 73 regular season games for Milwaukee, Lillard averaged 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7 assists while shooting 42.4% from the field and 35.4% from deep. When you look at that production, it's hard to rationalize that his debut season with the Bucks was underwhelming, and in truth, it wasn't.

Lillard is seen as a defensive turnstile, with many believing he struggles to hold his ground on that side of the floor. Yet, according to Dunks & Threes, he had the best defensive season of his career with Milwaukee, posting a +0.9 in Defensive Estimated Plus/Minus . As such, Lillard ranked in the 82nd percentile among guards, which is far from what he is made out to be.

The partnership between Lillard and Antetokounmpo was also a success. According to Cleaning The Glass , Milwaukee outscored opponents by 10.2 points per 100 possessions when the duo was on the court. Therefore, the Bucks' issues were clearly elsewhere within the roster, even if the media was pushing a different narrative.

Still, Lillard is embracing Milwaukee's new status as an underdog in the East, where it is currently seen as being behind the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers in the pecking order.

“The fact that we’re there and we’re under the radar is perfect because they’re gonna think nothing of us and then they’re gonna be like," Lillard said. "...You gotta face the truth, eventually. That’s how that usually works."

The Bucks have added Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince and Delon Wright this summer. They project to have better balance and depth. If Middleton and Lopez can improve from last season, Milwaukee will be a serious threat, and Lillard knows it.

Don't count out Milwaukee just yet. After all, Lillard and Antetokounmpo have had a summer to work on their partnership. They could quickly remind everyone why they were viewed as contenders this time last year.