Are we still debating the Milwaukee flag thing?

Here’s an idea: Use Damian Lillard’s three-pointers-made shot chart. It looks like a brilliant sunrise emerging from Lake Michigan, especially with the longest streaks filling up the horizon – marking Lillard’s ridiculously long-distance three-point makes from every part of the arc.

It’s a thing of beauty for sure, even if Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers doesn’t want to look at it.

“I don’t want to − too scary,” Rivers said.

While Lillard’s three-point shooting has ticked downward a bit since he arrived in Milwaukee a season and a half ago, the newest member of the NBA’s 22,000-points-scored club is such a threat from anywhere beyond the three-point line that it becomes a game within the game to see how far back he’ll line up and shoot.

It’s a more naturally looking shot now, too, after he just needed some time to get more comfortable with Milwaukee’s offensive structure and personnel.

In Lillard’s final four seasons in Portland, from 2019-23, he averaged 10.2, 10.5, 9.8 and 11.3 three-point attempts per game – all among the highest averages for his career.

But when he first got to Milwaukee, that average dipped to 8.5 last season.

Lillard was acquired by the Bucks in part for his three-point marksmanship but an adjustment period was needed. Not only was Lillard trying to fit in with the guards and forwards, and take over at point, it’s good to remember that Lillard joined a team with three bigs – Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis and Giannis Antetokounmpo – who consistently shot threes. Lopez is among the best-shooting big men all-time in the NBA – ninth overall with 1,014.

This season, Lillard is taking more threes, and making 3.5 of 8.9 attempts on average. He’s ranked 12th in the NBA in made threes.

Antetokounmpo has attempted only 26 three-pointers all year and in some games has appeared to abandon the shot altogether in favor of his newly minted mid-range shot, which has been effective.

Meanwhile, recovering from double ankle surgery and coming off the bench, Khris Middleton’s three-point numbers are also significantly down.

The Bucks want the three-point shot to remain a proficient way of scoring and there’s no doubt that it’s Lillard’s shot to take freely. Rivers said that he asks nothing of Lillard when it comes to where he can fire from long range, whether it’s a 24-, 26- or 28-footer and beyond.

“Him and Brook − I think they’re having a competition working: who can make the furthest three?” Rivers said. “They both shoot them easy, but Dame’s range … when you think about his size and how deep he can shoot, and it’s easy for him − it’s pretty amazing.”

Lillard kind of makes a face ‘are you serious’ when asked: He doesn’t study the analytics or the shot chart. He’s been known for his three-pointers his whole career. The analytics are for us. For the 6-foot-2 veteran, it’s all about reading the defense before him.

“I take them because I can make them and it forces the defense to play from further out,” Lillard said. “And I have more space to attack downhill, just because I know I can make that shot. So that’s it. I don’t look at like, you said, the shot chart of where I’m shooting at.”

The three-point line is 22 feet away from the corners and stretches out to 23 feet, 9 inches at the arc, and Lillard has taken 248 shots − by far his most − from 25 to 29 feet this year. He’s made 98.

You make the call: Should Damian Lillard have been given rebound by Bucks for triple-double?

“I think it’s just cleaner looks. It’s not as good of a contest, it’s not as much of a crowd so deep,” Lillard said. “That probably has something to do with it, just a more comfortable shot because of the lack of pressure and contest.”

Either way, it’s up to him, where to line up and shoot; Rivers said he extends the same freedom to Lillard on the three that he does to Antetokounmpo for the mid-range.

“I have none, Dame, Giannis,” Rivers said. “You know, I keep saying it, that’s the restrictions. When you give them freedom, you know they have to restrict themselves on and take shots that they think they can make. And when they don’t, they actually know it. They’ll glance over at me every once in a while. I just smile back.”