Damian Lillard addresses Bucks 'panic' amid slow start to season

11/07/2024 11:56 PM

There have been plenty of concerns surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks amid their troubling 1-6 start to the season. The team looks old, their defense looks shoddy, and their depth issues have risen to the forefront. But there’s nothing quite like a game against the Utah Jazz to get themselves back on track, as the Bucks came out firing in the second half on Thursday night to claim their second win of the season in convincing fashion, 123-100.

While being old has its drawbacks in professional sports, it also has the benefit of being composed amid the throes of adversity. All the Bucks have preached throughout their terrible start to the season is patience, and Damian Lillard echoed this in his postgame interview with FanDuel Sports Wisconsin’s Melanie Ricks.

“It feels great. I think, just getting off to a rough start, it’s easy to get down on yourself and start to panic a little bit and worry. Tonight we just came out with the right mentality. I hit some threes, but I think we stuck with it. We was flying around defensively and shared the ball. And finally, we caught our stride, we was able to get on a little bit of a run and take over the game. We just got to be able to use this as momentum going forward,” Lillard said.

"It's easy to get down on yourself and start to panic a little bit and worry. Tonight we just came out with the right mentality."

Dame caught up with @melaniebricks after the win! #FearTheDeerpic.twitter.com/DOh61rodcL

— FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin (@FanDuelSN_WI) November 8, 2024

The Bucks finally looked up the definition of insanity on the internet, and decided to make a change to their starting lineup. They decided to bench Gary Trent Jr., someone whom many thought they got as a bargain on the veteran’s minimum this past offseason, in favor of Andre Jackson Jr.

Jackson may not be the sharpshooter Trent is, but he is a more athletic presence who helps the Bucks cover more ground defensively. His elite athleticism also enables him to make winning plays on both ends of the floor, and Milwaukee was +19 during his minutes. He could very well be their starting shooting guard for the long haul, as Khris Middleton’s eventual return should bump Taurean Prince off the starting lineup.

But in the end, the elite play of Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo continued to carry the Bucks, and this time, it finally resulted in a win.

Will this win over the Jazz be a takeoff point for Damian Lillard and the Bucks?

It’s hard to look at the Bucks’ Thursday night win over the Jazz and use it to watch for anything that could stick long-term. The Jazz have looked like the worst team in the league through the first few weeks of the new campaign, and getting this win feels more like a sigh of relief instead of being something to celebrate.

The good news is that the Bucks’ defense showed signs of life in the second half. They held the Jazz to just 13-32 shooting from the field, and they turned defense into offense on plenty of occasions, forcing 21 turnovers on the night.

Middleton’s return should at least give the Bucks a higher floor on a night per night basis, and Jackson’s addition to the starting lineup feels like a change that will stick.

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