Damian Lillard's Bucks sojourn sees Milwaukee team's site traffic rise by whopping 500%
The Milwaukee Bucks traded for wantaway former Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard to prove their championship-winning commitment to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Lillard demanded a trade out of Rip City to the Miami Heat. Instead of sending him to South Beach, the Blazers shipped him to Milwaukee. Following the trade, the Bucks’ became one of the heavy favorites to win the 2024 NBA Finals.
Getting Lillard to help Antetokounmpo win another championship is the obvious reason the trade happened. “Dame Time,” however, has an off-court impact that may have been overlooked by most fans. The arrival of Lillard has already improved Milwaukee’s numbers impressively:
Per Front Office Sports, the superstar point guard has had this effect:
- Added more than 1,500 ticket packages
- Sold a whopping 250 full-season plans
- Recorded a 500% increase in site traffic
- Gained 200,000+ social media followers
- Seen him score 39 points in his debut
Khris Middleton is a two-time All-Star but he doesn’t have the star or box-office power as Damian Lillard. Jrue Holiday, the center of the deal the Milwaukee Bucks packaged for Lillard, was a pro’s pro and embodied Wisconsin’s blue-collar mentality. Like Middleton, he didn’t have the popularity of Lillard.
The Bucks opened their 2023-24 season at the Fiserv Forum with three home games. They’ve all been sold out and many more fans clamoring for tickets. Several ticket holders have already upgraded to a full-season plan. Many more bought the same package to catch actions featuring Lillard and Antetokounmpo.
It didn’t hurt that Damian Lillard quickly lived up to the hype in his debut for the Milwaukee Bucks. Against the Philadelphia 76ers, “Dame Time” scored 39 points and added eight rebounds and four assists. Lillard had the arena rocking when he scored the Bucks’ final 11 points, many of them crucial baskets.
During the Giannis Antetokounmpo era, some analysts viewed the two-time MVP’s poor free-throw shooting as a big problem. They also don’t trust Khris Middleton to do much better. Lillard has changed that perception.
The Milwaukee Bucks won on and off the court when they traded for Damian Lillard.
Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks are still adjusting to each other
Damian Lillard, in a few preseason games, claimed that he has been a seamless fit in Milwaukee. New head coach Adrian Griffin was installing a new system so all players were roughly on the same page. Assistant coach Terry Stotts, who designed the offense, was Lillard’s longtime playcaller with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The first few games for the Bucks, however, are showing that Lillard and the Bucks are still adjusting to each other. After his impressive 39-point debut against the Philadelphia 76ers, “Dame Time” struggled to score six points versus the Atlanta Hawks in a lopsided loss.
The superstar point guard played well in his first game against the Miami Heat since the trade was made. He had 25 points, five rebounds and four assists, helping Milwaukee to a hard-fought win.
In his fourth game for the team, the Bucks trailed the Toronto Raptors 95-79 entering the fourth quarter. Damian Lillard has 12 points on 3-8 shooting but has missed all three of his three-point attempts. Milwaukee could be headed to another lopsided loss if they don’t turn things around.
Milwaukee Bucks fans, though, are not worried. They probably expected a little struggle to open the season. The staggering increase in ticket sales is a vote of confidence that “Dame Time” and the team will quickly figure it out.