The Milwaukee Bucks made a blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers last offseason, hoping that they could get back to the mountaintop, but it ended in a disappointing first-round exit to the Indiana Pacers in part due to injuries. Lillard opened up on the trade to the Bucks, saying it was a tougher transition than he anticipated for multiple reasons.

“It was a harder transition than I thought for real like just like I said because of my life (divorce) but then also like adjusting to playing with another great player (Giannis) and then also playing with Khris (Middleton),” Damian Lillard said on the Club 520 Podcast. “Khris is a great player too but he plays a certain way too, so I'm having to get used to playing with two players and I don't want to stop them from doing what they do, but I got to find how to be the best version of me within this too, so it was just a lot it, was a lot of moving parts, it was more difficult than I thought it would would be.”

Clearly, there were a lot of factors at play last season for the Bucks when it came to helping Lillard acclimate to the team. It will be interesting to see if there is a bit of a year-two bump for Lillard and the Bucks.

Bucks, Damian Lillard hoping for better results in year 2

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It did not go as planned for the Bucks last season, as the trade for Lillard allowed the Eastern Conference competitor Boston Celtics to land Jrue Holiday, who was once a key piece for Milwaukee's championship team. Although Lillard is in the later stages of his career, the hope is that another year with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton helps the Bucks reach another level.

The talent is there for the Bucks to be a top contender in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics have earned the right to be the favorite to get to the NBA Finals next season again, but Milwaukee is in that next tier of teams that could potentially challenge Boston. The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers are two teams that are viewed as in that tier as well, with other young teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers down the list.

The biggest factor for the Bucks this season is Lillard and how he fares in his second year with the team.