Damian Lillard has shown improvement compared to his first season.

Last season was undoubtedly a bumpy one for Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks. After Milwaukee unexpectedly traded for the star point guard right before the start of the season, many thought they would immediately be dominant, but that was not the case.

Lillard took longer than anticipated to acclimate to the new team, and he openly admitted to it being a struggle. He was living in a new city, playing a new role alongside a new superstar, dealing with some personal issues and was not in the best shape after barely working out during the offseason to prevent injury prior to a trade.

Lillard wasn’t horrible last season by any means, but he was definitely a bit disappointing in his first season in Milwaukee. Many hoped that his second season would be a lot smoother and he would look more like the player he was in Portland. And so far, he has delivered, putting up improved numbers across the board, meshing better with Giannis Antetokounmpo and playing like one of the best point guards in the league again.

No. 1 – Shooting efficiency

One of the biggest struggles Lillard had last season was with poor shooting efficiency. He shot just 42.4 percent from the field (his worst since 2015) and 35.4 percent from three (his worst since 2014). His overall shooting numbers from the field were not where they needed to be, and he went through several long stretches of poor shooting.

Well, so far this season, his numbers are much improved from an efficiency standpoint. He is up to 45.4 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three so far this year, both numbers that are more in line with what we have become accustomed to seeing from him over the years.

And many like to focus just on his 3-point shooting (which is improved this season), but his 2-point percentage also jumped from 49 percent last season (his worst since 2015) to 54 percent this season (second best of his career).

Here is a look at Lillard’s shooting numbers from each area of the floor last season compared to this season:

As you can see, his efficiency is up across the board. As a result, his overall effective field goal percentage has gone from 51 percent (below league average) to 55.1 percent (above league average), and his true shooting percentage has risen from 59 percent (slightly above league average) to 62.6 percent (well above league average).

Damian Lillard is always going to put up solid points and assists totals, but the key to him being a more effective player is his shooting efficiency, and he has vastly improved that area of his game compared to last season. When he is putting up his usual scoring and assist totals while also being efficient, he is one of the best point guards in the entire NBA.