Bucks All-Star point guard Damian Lillard is gearing up for his second season in Milwaukee, writes The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. The 6-foot-1 vet had a disappointing start to his tenure with the team in 2023-24.

The 34-year-old, on the eve of his 13th season, which officially kicked off Wednesday, reflected on his reputation in the league and talked about how he won a title alongside the All-NBA Bucks forward. Giannis Antetokounmpo could tarnish his legacy.

“You would think that if I won the award they wouldn’t be able to say anything, but I think people know how good I am,” Lillard said. “People know – at least the people who know what they are looking at – otherwise I wouldn’t have been on the 75th anniversary team. When you talk about fans and people randomly saying their opinions on TV, you say, ‘Okay.’

There’s more from the Central Division:

• Versatile Pacers combo guard Andreas Nembhardwho signed an extension with the team this season, has happily established himself as a do-it-all player in Indiana, moving between the bench and the starting lineup during his two seasons thus far, writes Dustin Dopirak Indianapolis Ster (subscribe link). “He’s our Swiss Army Knife. He can play point guard like Ty (Tyrese Haliburton) comes under pressure”, reserve guard TJ McConnell said. “He could be the two. He can even be the three and he can guard any position. He was incredible and he keeps getting better.”
• Second year Pistons wing Ausar Thompson has been ruled out for the club’s 2024-25 regular season opener Wednesday night as he continues his comeback from a blood clot that prematurely ended his rookie season, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Detroit is still awaiting official approval from the league on when Thompson can return to action, Sankofa tweeted. The 6’7″ swingman appeared in 63 games for Detroit, averaging 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
• In case you missed it, the Bulls opted not to sign the newly acquired point guard Josh Giddey to a contract extension in time for the preseason deadline. He will become a restricted free agent next summer.