Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard explained why his defense has been more impactful than people think following Wednesday’s 119-104 home loss vs. the Atlanta Hawks (25 points/4 rebounds/5 assists/1 steal/8-14 FG/5-9 3-PT/4-5 FT).
(via Milwaukee Bucks):
Reporter: “You lead the team in deflections. I saw a stat that among starting point guards in the East, you have the most deflections. You had that kinda boxer punch steal in the first quarter. Curious how you would evaluate your defense since coming back from injury and whether that’s been an area of focus for you?”
Lillard: “In the last couple years of my career, it’s been something that I’ve taken pride in. I think early in my career, like most young players, especially scoring young players, it’s a learning curve defensively. Not just physically, but when you don’t know terminology, you don’t really know personnel that well, it’s a challenge to be a good defender in the NBA. And as I’ve become more experienced, I think it’s carried on as more of a narrative than actual truth. Guys not just coming out here breaking me off and putting me out there and scoring on me over and over.
“And I also never been a guy that’s… I’m not gon’ shy away from it. You seek me out, Imma come to it and we gon’ do it however we gotta do it. But like I said, I think it’s more of a narrative than anything else. I get my hands on the ball. I’m physical. I’m in the action. So I think that being a stat, just show you I’m not just out there. Sometimes it’s on the ball. Sometimes I’m coming over to help. Just trying to make something happen.”
