There were some massive expectations for Damian Lillard when the Milwaukee Bucks went all in on him this past summer. There still are at this point as the supporters expect the Bucks to go all the way and win the championship with Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way.
This always hasn’t been the case for Dame, though.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Damian Lillard Speaks Out on External Pressure
Early on in his career, Lillard had a lot of naysayers. The doubters are still present to this very day, but given all that he’s achieved through the years, there’s no denying that the seven-time All-NBA point guard has done a tremendous job of keeping them at bay.
“None of it was expected. I just kept overachieving,” Lilalrd said of his achievements during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers, via Jim Owczarski of the Journal Sentinel. “Just putting it all out there and it was always unexpected.”
For his part, however, Lillard never doubted himself. He knew what he was capable of and he never let the outside noise derail him from his objectives.
“Internally, it’s not for me personally,” he said of that perception. “I mean that in the sense of the outside. How people have always perceived me, as an overachiever. I would have never overachieved if I thought what they thought, you know what I mean?”
Time to Deliver
It’s much different now that he’s in Milwaukee, though. Lillard did the unthinkable this past summer when he decided to leave Portland after more than a decade with the organization. According to Lillard, he’s now facing a different monster now that he’s with the Bucks.
“They recognize the situation that I’m in – I’m playing on a really good team with a great player,” Lillard said. “So, I think that’s the difference. People are seeing it like OK, the player we expect him as is now paired with another great player on a great team, so I think that’s what it is.
“My mentality is the same.”
Despite the pressure, however, Dame, as always, remains unfazed.
“Because I’ve always had high expectations of myself,” he said. “The reason why I’ve always been able to overachieve is because I never – when we weren’t expected to do anything, I never cared or shared that belief. And when we were expected to do something I already thought that anyways. It didn’t carry my belief.
“So when I came here I had the same high expectations of myself and the team, so it didn’t change my feelings or how I was able to operate.”
Pressure or no pressure, Lillard will now have to deliver. The Bucks risked a whole lot to get him to Milwaukee, and both the organization and the fans will be looking to get some return on their massive investment in the immediate future.
