Kenyon Martin boldly claims Damian Lillard doesn’t make his teammates better amid Bucks’ poor run ahead of the playoffs

Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are facing their worst fears ahead of the playoffs.

Kenyon Martin boldly claims Damian Lillard doesn’t make his teammates better amid Bucks’ poor run ahead of the playoffs

Kenyon Martin thinks Damian Lillard is the reason the Milwaukee Bucks are struggling, claims he never made his teammates better

The Milwaukee Bucks are heading into the final stages of their first regular season, with Damian Lillard manning the point. Compared to last year, they have an even worse record. 

Naturally, the mid-season coaching change gets most of the blame. However, former All-Star Kenyon Martin suggests Lillard is to blame, as historically he has never made his teammates better.

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Martin was one of the analysts on yesterday’s sit-down on Gil’s Arena podcast, where they talked about the Milwaukee Bucks and their struggles this season. 

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Who has Dame made better that's played with him? I don't think Dame made CJ better. Dame is a hell of a talent. But if you look at when it get down to it in the playoffs, what has happened. It fell short because it's all on him. There's no one else can thrive in that situation. Even as good as CJ was, he was still limited when Dame was on the floor.
Kenyon Martin said

Martin alluded that the Bucks will face the same problem when it comes to the playoffs. As teams attack the pick-and-roll combination of Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo differently. 

This analysis suggests that Kenyon Martin does not trust the 8-time All-Star to help the Bucks be better in the playoffs. If Antetokounmpo goes for a shot, there are chances that the Bucks could thrive. However, when in tandem with his superstar teammate, they will struggle.

It also goes to explain why the former All-NBA player has struggled so far this season. The Milwaukee Bucks are loaded compared to his former Portland Trail Blazers teams. Therefore, Damian Lillard has to share the ball more as opposed to being the de facto offensive engine.

Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks struggling when it matters

With just 10 days to go before the 2024 playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks seem to have run out of time to fix their woes. One of their main deficiencies so far has been on the defensive side of the ball. Despite making a mid-season change to their head coach, the Bucks are still not there yet. Disregarding today’s game, the Bucks are 17-17 since they fired Adrian Griffin.

To make matters worse, in these closing games, the Bucks are an appalling 2-6. The Milwaukee Bucks are struggling, and head coach Doc Rivers has not yet found an answer to turn around his beleaguered squad. If this is the form they carry into the playoffs, there is a high chance there could be a repeat of last year’s first-round playoff exit.

If that happens and the player for whom they traded Lillard goes on to win the title with the Boston Celtics, it will make the Milwaukee Bucks the laughing stock of the NBA. Kenyon Martin’s prophecy about Damian Lillard could come true.

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