Ever since Damian Lillard arrived at the Milwaukee Bucks, the persistent question has always revolved around his defensive prowess.
It’s simply unavoidable when taking over as Jrue Holiday’s replacement, particularly with your own defensive history being subpar.
While the Bucks have generally fared well with a 24-9 record, Dame has been routinely exposed defensively.
Arguably the most severe example was his notable lack of focus while attempting to guard Tyrese Haliburton during the Bucks’ matchup against the Pacers on Monday night.
Reactions from NBA Twitter (or NBA X) were the following:
Dame Lillard is not a committed basketball player pic.twitter.com/V3ww3NX5FU
— sham🫗 (@raisedharmony) January 2, 2024
Dame with the most horrendous defense I’ve ever seen 💀 pic.twitter.com/mVPZmVJROI
— BrickMuse (@BrickMuse) January 2, 2024
Dame worse on defense than Poole, sheesh! Hali cooking him like fried turkey pic.twitter.com/lXGugHdAtW
— Obj*Poole&BilalWiz*daDon (@ObjdaOriginal) January 2, 2024
‘Dame Time’ in 2024 pic.twitter.com/y6IBMRubYz
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Dame hasn’t once surpassed Hali’s performance this year pic.twitter.com/ZEQR7fqnGk
— K. Lee 🤲🏼 (@ITS_KEVINDEVON) January 2, 2024
Dame completely hesitated when Hali made a move… Tonight emphasized the necessity for another defender to attack.
If I were John Horst, I would immediately contact Alex Caruso tonight
— 𝕱𝖊𝖆𝖗 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕯𝖊𝖊𝖗 🦌🏆 (@BUCKSINSIX999) January 2, 2024
Hali Vs Dame this season in pacer/bucks matchups
Haliburton 26-7-11
Dame 19-6-6
Pacers up 3-1 in the season series pic.twitter.com/NFUv6iDZmk
— 𝙍𝘿 (@NorthSidePace) January 2, 2024
Image Source: Keeton Gale / Shutterstock
