Losing Brandon Roy was a huge blow for this fan. I know he doesn't have much left from those days of years past; but still losing that competitor that always wants to win and take the clutch shots were missed. I just never thought or still think Aldridge has that in him. Lillard has that in him. You can see the fire in his eyes. He wants to be the man and has the talent and confidence to take him there. He's a rookie; but he really hasn't played like one so far. He is growing to become one of my favorites! He just gets it!
And to add... It's going to be really interesting to see how teams face Aldridge this season. They can't afford to lay off any players to double Aldridge because we have the scorers and perimeter shooters to punish you for the double. This is why Aldridge had six assists the last game. We may be better than people think.
Agreed. Every good team needs that player that has the capability of making something happen when nothing else is working. Lillard still has some lapses, but he seems to have plenty of times where he can do that. I hope he can keep it up.
Well he is still a rookie, but already showing good signs of leadership and ability. In fact he's ahead of the game when you compare him to players like d will and cp3. Hopefully he keeps it up!
I love having a top 2 player in a 2 man draft. However, him being so humble and hard-working has me REALLY excited about our team and it's future.
One thing I noticed re-watching the Houston game: for as good as Lillard is now, he's still making rookie mistakes (bad passes, missed assignments, airballed floaters, etc.). This tells me he's not really at his ceiling yet (a worry for some), and will improve as the years go on. Luckily, his coach isn't Mommy Dearest ("No unforced turnovers... EVER!") so he's allowed to learn and grow. The future is bright for Li'l O, and I feel so good knowing he's on our team.
MAGS! where the heck have U been? Nice to have U back, been real fun watching Lillard and Stotts offense, what a wonderful change!
Yeah I noticed that as well. What I also noticed that he was making these mistakes and it wasn't getting into his head. He was still taking clutch shots and running the plays without second guessing himself. That says alot about his demeanor. He is going to be a stud. It's been a long time since I've actually seen this team with a very capable star PG. Glad we finally have one!
Hey thanks Blazin!!! Yeah the offense has a lot of movement and there isn't this "OMG I know exactly what is gonna happen on offense!" crap we dealt with for over 6 years.
He does something very important, which is to play the game one possession at a time mentally. A mistake doesn't faze him in the least. Marcus Mariota for Oregon plays the same way, and it's to his benefit.
This is also reinforced by the fact that there's no quick hook when he does screw up. He's getting to learn through his mistakes and isn't getting a gun-shy mentality beaten into him.
Totally agree! It seems this Lillard Kid was just under the radar because of the college he played for. I bet if he was on Duke, NC, UCLA or Kentucky; he would have had a sure fire #2 pick in the draft. It may have been a Oden vs. Durant all over again. Luck finally came our way, having him drop to #6.