NBA Exec on Bucks After Damian Lillard Trade: ‘You Don’t Feel Them in the Same Way’

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It appears that opposing NBA teams have noticed the defensive drop-off from the Milwaukee Bucks following the trade that brought Damian Lillard to the team.

In order to acquire Lillard, the Bucks had to give up point guard Jrue Holiday and a 2029 first-round pick to go along with multiple first-round pick swaps. Holiday, a five-time All-Defensive team selection who often guarded opponents’ top perimeter scorer, ultimately ended up on the Boston Celtics before the season began.

While Lillard is averaging 24.8 points and 6.2 assists per game with Milwaukee, the team’s point-of-attack defense has taken a step back.

“You don’t feel them in the same way anymore,” a rival Eastern Conference executive said, per ESPN’s Jamal Collier. “The head of the snake is gone.”

Through 15 games, the Bucks’ defensive rating of 115.6 ranks 22nd among all teams. That’s Milwaukee’s lowest ranking since the 2015-16 season, according to NBA.com.

The Bucks’ field goal percentage allowed at the rim through the first five games of the season was the worst mark in the association, per Second Spectrum, after finishing in second place in 2022-23 (via Collier).

In order to cover up Lillard’s weaknesses on the less glamorous end of the court, the Bucks have played an aggressive scheme that can often leave the team’s top help defenders out of position.

Meanwhile, Holiday has helped fortify Boston’s defense despite continuing to look for his rhythm as a shooter. The Celtics own a league-best 12-3 record, while their 107.5 defensive rating ranks second among all teams (per NBA.com).