Damian Lillard, in the midst of "the hardest transition of my life," still faces his biggest on-court challenge yet.
The 33-year-old veteran will be held responsible for the outcome of this Milwaukee Bucks season, for better or worse, whether or not he deserves it. That is what happens when a front office trades a core member of a recent championship roster for an eight-time All-Star. He is the face of change for them.
Everything, as of now, points to the Bucks being worse than last season. At this time last year, they owned the NBA's best record, three games better than both the Boston Celtics and eventual champion Denver Nuggets.