Damian Lillard: Not “Much Of A Life” In Milwaukee
Damian Lillard is still the same elite basketball player he’s been for the better part of a decade. However, off the court, things are a little different. In his first season with the Milwaukee Bucks, the 33-year-old is feeling lonely in a new city. He made some disheartening remarks to Sports Illustrated:
“Being away from my kids is tough,” Lillard told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. “In Portland, my life was set up. My mom was down the street; my brother was the other way down the street. My sister was down the street. My kids in school. Just my whole life was set up perfectly right there. It was a great situation. So just leaving that behind alone is a lot. And then you add the basketball side to it and that is what it is.”
“Seriously, I don’t have much of a life,” Lillard said. “But that’s what comes with making a big-boy decision. You got to be down for that and figure it out.
“It’s definitely lonely because I’m such a family guy. My life is my family … So I would come out, we would go to dinner. They might come to my house. After practice, I might go to my mom’s house and just chill. That’s how my life was. I’m fine because I’m grown. But it’s definitely lonely. I’m filled up by those people.”
Damian Lillard via Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated
Some might ridicule him but I think this is a really mature thing to say. One thing Dame always does is keep it real. Going to practice and games and then driving back to an empty apartment is probably not much fun. He left a comfort zone of sorts in Portland in order to push for a championship. Credit to him for being open about it and also not letting it affect his game.
Alongside former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the former Weber State guard is still doing very nicely as a #2 option. He’s averaging 24.5 points per game with 4.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists. He is shooting 34.4% from three, which is low for his standards, but pairs it with a 42.5 field goal percentage and an NBA-leading 92.5 free throw percentage.
The Doc Is In?
The only thing missing for Dame is consistent team success. After a 30-13 start, the Bucks fired Adrian Griffin and replaced him with Doc Rivers. The results so far are not impressive. The former NBA Champion currently has a 6-7 record in charge which has let the Cleveland Cavaliers leapfrog them for the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference. The final third of the season could totally see them go on a run, but it needs to start now. Everyone was convinced it would be the Bucks and Celtics atop the East. Now, the field is getting much more crowded.
Damian Lillard is off to a pretty good start on the court in Milwaukee. Things off the court are not ideal, but sacrifices are needed in order to win a championship.
