A few days past the one-year anniversary of Damian Lillard being traded to the Bucks, the eight-time All-Star checked in for the start of his 13th season.
Lillard turned 34 in July and said he took a different approach to the offseason. He was in regular contact with Milwaukee co-star Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they did not work out together during the summer.
Instead, Lillard aligned his support staff on nutrition and basketball training and decided to add another element to his preparation.
“We just all got connected to get me right,” Lillard said. “I’ve been in contact with David Goggins for a couple years now. We just could never nail down a time. I was finishing up my elite camp in Phoenix. … We got together that week. I left camp and just went to work.”
Lillard finished 16th in the NBA in scoring last season with 24.3 points per game in his first season spent outside of Portland since the Trail Blazers drafted him sixth overall in 2012.
The Bucks were bounced from the playoffs in the first round by the Indiana Pacers with Antetokounmpo (calf) out. Lillard missed two games and then tried to play in Game 6 at less than full strength because of an Achilles injury.
Enter Goggins, the careful-if-you-Google name known in the ultrarunning and endurance sports niche for sharp-tongued motivational tactics and mental stamina. The former Navy SEAL has completed multiple grueling elite-level races, including a 240-mile second-place finish in the well-known Moab ultra.
Goggins chronicled the workouts with Lillard in August via social media, following a 38-hour plan called “Hell Week.” In previous videos, Goggins used a similar workout itinerary and claimed it nearly brought multiple UFC fighters to tears.
“As much as it was a challenge for me as far as conditioning, it was more of a mental challenge than anything else,” Lillard said. “I think that’s my greatest takeaway from it. The mental strength, realizing there’s a lot more in there than you think. When you are tired, kind of just dying in the middle of (training) it. To come out the other end of it after spending that time with it, it really did something for me mentally.”
Lillard said Monday he felt teammates and coaches don’t yet know the “true Dame” and he was driven through the offseason to deliver the genuine article this season.
“My teammates and coaches going to get the real version of me this year,” he said. “I just know what type of year I had and what type of summer I had and preparation I had. They’re going to get the real version of me.”
The Bucks are looking to chase down the champion Boston Celtics and a number of teams who underwent dramatic roster remodeling in the offseason. That includes the New York Knicks, who added versatile wing Mikal Bridges and agreed to a trade for Karl-Anthony Towns.
Asked about the current Milwaukee group reaching the Eastern Conference finals, Antetokounmpo said Monday the Bucks have to prove they belong.
“Conference Finals? Finals? We gotta get out of the first round first,” he said. “Let’s start there.”
–Field Level Media