When Damian Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, expectations were clear: his elite offensive skill set would transform the team, while his defense—long considered a weakness—would hopefully be serviceable enough to not derail their championship aspirations.
After all, Lillard is still a strong and athletic guard, and even at 34, there was optimism that his effort and team context could mask some of his defensive flaws.
But as the Bucks near the halfway mark of the season, a familiar realization is setting in: Lillard's defensive struggles remain a notable issue, and the numbers don't seem to be matching the eye test. Even despite their recent run to get back to the sixth seed, the Bucks' defense has taken a step back, and Lillard’s presence on that end of the floor hasn’t helped.
The numbers don't lie: Lillard's defense has generally been a mixed bag
This has to be said before anything else: Damian Lillard is looking the most locked-in he ever has on the defensive end this year in Milwaukee. That's just what the eye test is telling many Bucks fans these days. He's active, involved and engaged on that side of the ball, even despite what his past showings might lead you to believe about his pedigree as a defender. His size and ball screen navigation is what it is, but at the end of the day, you also can't teach effort and motor.
Yet somehow, the eye test doesn't match the numbers. According to Cleaning the Glass, Milwaukee gives up 6.4 points more per 100 possessions when Lillard is on the court. That places him in the 14th percentile among guards for defensive impact—well below average.
Even with the effort he's putting in, opposing guards often exploit Lillard, especially in pick-and-roll situations. He struggles to navigate screens, gets caught in mismatches, and doesn't have the size to compensate when he's beaten.
This was a dynamic Portland Trail Blazers fans knew all too well. For years, the Blazers built around Lillard's offensive brilliance while trying to patch together a functional defense. More often than not, those efforts fell short in the postseason when defensive liabilities were magnified.
That said, there’s a stark difference in perception this season, especially in the clutch. In the last five minutes of games that are within five points, Lillard's defensive rating goes from 115.4 to 102.2. It's clear he knows how and when to turn on the jets to pull out wins.
In fact, when defending pick-and-roll ball-handlers, scorers only convert 1.12 points per possession when defended by Dame - that puts Lillard in the 90th percentile for that play type. When defending isolations, Lillard holds opposing scorers to just 0.71 points per possession, which is good for the 78th percentile among guards. Even with the overall team stats, those simply aren't the numbers a below-average defender would put up.
While his defense is still a liability, it becomes more obvious that Lillard's effort and engagement flip the switch in the dying minutes of games. He fights through screens, communicates on switches and shows a willingness to rotate. For all his limitations, he’s clearly giving everything he has on that end of the floor for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Lillard isn't a plus defender, but his defense is worth the offense he brings
This isn’t a case of a star coasting defensively—Lillard is genuinely trying. But effort alone doesn’t fix the reality of his defensive shortcomings. Opposing offenses know they can target him, and playoff-caliber teams will undoubtedly exploit that in high-stakes matchups.
For all the defensive woes, Lillard’s offense has largely made the tradeoff worthwhile. He’s averaging 25.7 points, 7.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game, steadily finding his rhythm alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. More importantly, he’s been clutch when the Milwaukee Bucks need him most, delivering in late-game situations that were often a struggle last season.
The Bucks knew what they were getting when they traded for Lillard. His defensive limitations are baked into his game, but his ability to change the equation offensively was worth the risk. Milwaukee’s front office wasn’t looking for a lockdown defender—they were looking for someone who could elevate their offense to new heights.
The question now is how Milwaukee can mitigate Lillard’s defensive impact. One solution has been pairing him more frequently with Andre Jackson Jr. or another perimeter defender who can help cover for his weaknesses. Rotational tweaks could also reduce his minutes in defensively critical situations.
Ultimately, though, the Milwaukee Bucks will need to rely on their collective defense to make up for Lillard’s individual shortcomings. Giannis and Brook Lopez remain two of the league’s best defenders, and their ability to clean up mistakes has already helped offset some of Damian Lillard’s lapses.
Lillard’s defensive performances may be a mixed bag overall, but at the end of the day, this is the player Milwaukee traded for—a historically great offensive force with well-documented weaknesses on the other end. The effort is there, and that’s encouraging. But effort alone won’t make Lillard a good defender, and depending on the matchup, Milwaukee's coaching staff will find that it will need to adjust to account for that every now and then.
For now, the tradeoff seems worth it. The Bucks didn’t bring Lillard in to anchor their defense—they brought him in to win games when it matters most. And as long as he continues to do that, Milwaukee will live with his flaws.
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