Fantasy basketball managers figured incoming Bucks PG Damian Lillard was not going to replicate the incredible statistics he compiled in recent seasons for the Blazers once he joined Giannis Antetokounmpo and a veteran squad just a month before the season began.
In fact, Lillard saw his lofty usage rate crater for Milwaukee, and his scoring average dropped from 32.2 PPG to 24.3 PPG, his lowest figure in a full season in a decade. This was not vintage Lillard, and fantasy managers noticed. Today, he is merely a third-round pick in ESPN ADP.
Well, sign me up for this third-round pick every time, then! Lillard still ranked 20th in PPG and 10th in APG in his "down" season. Only 23 players scored ESPN fantasy points, and he was 17th on the Player Rater, achieving all this despite an occasionally rocky campaign in a new offense, with a controversial coaching change, and while dealing with notable off-court issues.