Despite scoring 39 points in his Milwaukee Bucks debut, it was no secret that Damian Lillard had his work cut out for him as he tried to find his footing early this season.
Playing on a new team for the first time in his NBA career and trying to adapt to players with another superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo, there were understandably some struggles from the guard in the early going. While he's still working out the kinks in his game, one positive sign over the course of the season so far has been the increase in Lillard's offensive production.
Incredibly welcoming Damian Lillard trend spells good news for the Milwaukee Bucks
Lillard's offensive numbers have gotten better with each passing month.
October (Three games) - 23.3 points, 39.1 percent field goal shooting, 29.6 percent 3-point shooting, 4.3 assists per game
November (14 games) - 26 points, 42.3 percent field goal shooting, 33.6 percent 3-point shooting, 7.4 assists per game
December (Seven games) - 26.3 points, 46.3 percent field goal shooting, 44.3 percent 3-point shooting, 7.7 assists per game
Obviously, Lillard hitting more and more of his shot attempts, especially from deep, will help the Bucks, freeing up more room down low for Giannis Antetokounmpo and others. Milwaukee already has one of the best offensive ratings in the entire league, and that's been with Lillard struggling from deep during that first handful of games. Now, it seems like he's been in a great rhythm.
Lillard is currently having an excellent month of December, coming off a 39-point effort against the Houston Rockets after scoring 33 the night before versus the Detroit Pistons. When the season first began, he oftentimes deferred to Giannis quite a bit. While it's still Antetokounmpo's team, Lillard has been far more aggressive with the ball lately, and his numbers show that the results are paying off.
Fans of the Portland Trail Blazers, Lillard's old team, warned Bucks fans that the guard is typically prone to start the season slow, and it seems like that was indeed the case. Of course, a good seven game stretch to start the month does not mean that Lillard has fully come into his own, but it's a step in the right direction after his extremely slow start.
If he continues this trend of getting better each passing month, it would certainly be welcoming.
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