Part summer league recap, and part Lillard as the Blazers future. http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/e...-unknown-with-'franchise-player'-expectations Good read regardless.
Nice recap. Surprised nobody has commented at all. I found the bit about Allen being infactuated with Lillard's game/abilities interesting. Not sure whether or not it's true, but interesting nonetheless.
I do worry that expectations might outstrip his ability early on. Yeah he tore it up in Summer League and looked almost bored out there, but I'm worried he'll be targeted heavily and shut down hard by teams that know our second best point guard is Nolan Smith.
Wow that's an impressive article. Can Lillard really be a "franchise PG"? If so, then we may have gotten the best player in the draft!
It's the irrational exuberance I'm worried about. Let's see if he can start in the NBA for a season before crowning him the face of the franchise. Sebastian Telfair had this same cart before the horse, and while I really feel that Damian's a lot better than Bassy.... I just worry, y'know?
Yeah perfect way to look at it. Also, Woods was named Summer League MVP and look how he turned out. What I can tell you is I've noticed how he holds himself. He has that "confidence" about him. The swag you normally see from good players. That was much different than Bassy or Woods. He looks like he has "the eye of the tiger". Almost the same look we once saw with Roy.
A big diff is Telfair came right from high school; Lillard is far more polished even before he played a game as a pro.
Bassy was all East Coast-hype. He was a young, flashy PG. The media was not only looking for the next HS star (with all the Lebron hype that had been going around for a few years), they were looking for the next great NY PG. Woods was a SL MVP. The difference is Woods looked lost his first SL. I think there's a big difference between a rookie coming into SL that absolutely destroys the competition and is the best player, versus a guy who has already been to SL, and/or played some games on the NBA level. I think there's something to be said for a rookie to come into SL and immediately be the best player on the floor. Not trying to buy the SL hype. But based on the recent Lillard hype leading up to the SL, he did everything I expected him to do and then some. It's going to be a bumpy rookie year as our starting PG, but I still expect the positives to outweigh the negatives, and I think, overall, we'll be excited for what he'll grow into.
I take a different view. I think the early hype will allow him to get a fair shake with officials. If teams try to take away Lillard, that is a good thing. It means that there will be open shots and that LMA can have a field day.
Well, and the other thing to consider is that he's used to being singled out by the defense. He was pretty much the only option on offense for Weber State, so when teams tried to trap him and double him in SL, he clearly wasn't phased. I think the regular season will be even easier for him because he'll actually have weapons to pass to when he's trapped.
Oh, that's a good point I hadn't thought about. Batum and LA can't be left open ever, and Leonard and Hickson race to the basket enough to keep a defender on them honest.., maybe last year's sure-fire trick of doubling Crawford or Felton will actually backfire.
Nobody becomes a star in summer league. Maybe they do in the impressionable minds of message board posters, but not in the NBA. The reaction to Lillard reminds me of Bayless. Everyone was all, "I know it's just summer league but..."
I understand the hesitation about anointing Lillard a franchise player already, but there is just a far different feel to his game than any of the rookies that have been talked about in this thread. The Woods, Telfair, and Bayless's of the past all did well in summer league, but it was all athletic ability and not much basketball IQ. It was mentioned in one article I read that Lillard has the same feel to his game as Kyrie Irving, which is a pretty nice comparison. When I watch Damien, he's got a lot of Brandon Roy in him, he's very patient on the floor and has the confidence and ability to finish plays off. I love his control of the pick and roll game, never hesitating to take 2 or 3 extra dribbles to get his player open on the roll. A lot of point guards will rush that part of the pick and roll, and not deliver the pass at the right time. If anything, I think putting Lillard on the floor with a legit all-star big man, and a nice complimentary wing player in Batum, will make Damien's game that much better. I have the utmost confidence that we have an all-rookie first team player and a possible future all-star running our point for the next 12 years. Pretty exciting I'd say!
I wonder if it's because he's so old, as Ed O likes to point out. Much higher floor, even if the ceiling isn't (in theory) as high.
I was surprised during SL how often opponents would try to press him or double him and he'd either draw the foul or get the ball to a wide open man or take it to the rim. His confidence with the ball should easily translate to the NBA game. Teams just aren't going to be able to force the ball out of his hands without sacrificing a great deal. I'm really, really excited to see him and Aldridge go over old Andre Miller video tape. A lot of those lobs Dre would find are still going to be there.
Telfair was such an over rated passer, sure he could deliver a pass really well, but he didn't see plays developing before everyone else like good point guards do.
Bassy's problem was confidence in his shot. I'd see him during shootaround knocking down three after three after three, but when he'd get the ball in a game, he'd always take a step inside the line because he had no confidence in his outside shot.
