3 Key attributes Damian Lillard brings to the Milwaukee Bucks after trade

3 Key attributes Damian Lillard brings to the Milwaukee Bucks: Loyalty

There is no question that Lillard has displayed an incredible amount of loyalty in his career, in particular to the Portland Trail Blazers. Since being drafted by the team in 2012, he helped the team to eight playoff appearances but never made it past the Western Conference Finals. In those eight years, the TrailBlazers failed to make it past the first round five different times, which made many believe that Lillard would leave the organization. Even when Portland shipped Lillard’s former backcourt mate C.J. McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans, one would’ve assumed that would’ve been the end of the Lillard era in Portland.

But Lillard stayed with the organization the whole way through. Many felt that his loyalty was a hindrance to his success as a player, but for a team like the Milwaukee Bucks, that loyalty will be welcomed greatly. Milwaukee is not necessarily a flashy city, it’s not LA, New York or Boston. The Bucks have to work a little bit harder to convince star players to stay in the city when there are so many opportunities for them to leave to join other star-studded organizations. However, Lillard is someone who will stay patient with the team and the organization.

There is no question that the first few weeks of the season will be filled with growing pains. Getting a superstar like Lillard acclimated to a new team, which he’s never had to experience before in his NBA career outside of his rookie season, will be a challenge. There will be times when the media will make assumptions that this pairing of Lillard and the Bucks might not work, which could fuel the idea of the move being a massive mistake. However, Lillard is no stranger to weathering the storm of the NBA regular season’s peaks and valleys, so the outside noise will be not distraction to him.

His loyalty as a player will be greatly appreciated by the Milwaukee Bucks, especially when they hit any rough patches during the season.