Does Lillard have the deepest range in the NBA?

I think he does. I don't know when I've seen a player shoot 3's consistently from a couple of feet or more behind the line. I recall Downtown Freddie Brown having great range, but I don't think they had the 3 point line back then. You can't defend Lillard when he's on from deep.

 

What a ridiculous thread! Alan Crabbe has the deepest range in the league! Everybody knows that.

 

Once the refs give Killard the deserving love like Westbrook, it's game over man. There isn't a spot on the floor Killard can't score from.

He should have at least 6-8 FTs a game.

 

I think this goes to Curry, but Lillard has great range

 

Doesn't curry always make a shot from the tunnel before games? I will admit that his range is disturbing

 

Yeah I’ve never seen anything like this. Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, and Larry Bird never shot threes like that. They were able to shoot over guys but they were always near the line. Bird only averaged 1.9 3PT attempts per game in his career; Damian is shooting 6.9 this year at 42.2%. Ray Allen is probably the best shooter in the history of the game, he did have some insane years shooting the three in Seattle, but I never remember him being able to shoot long ones as Damian is doing.

Now Damian is better near the line so I like that he is avoiding more of the long threes early in the shot clock. But that crazy deep shot is something he can definitely make and there is no way any defense can guard him that close to half court.

 

I think Lillard has better range than Curry. Curry is probably a more consistent shooter from the 3-point line, but Lillard consistently shoots from a couple feet back of it.

 

Ahh that is probably the best comparison, Curry shot 7.2 attempts at 45.3% last year. That is insane as well. Lillard is right there with him as one of the best shooters in the league.

Klay is deadly from three too. We mirror that Golden State team in a ton of respects. The big difference is Aldridge being far and away better than David Lee.

 

During the "Bird Era", three point shooting wasn't as popular as it is now. The advanced metrics coaches use today weren't used back then. It was a "Pound the ball inside" mentality or showtime finesse fast breaks. No team ever thought of using the three as some kind of fast break look.

I think in today's NBA, I would expect Bird shooting more. The value is so much higher, knowing the TS% numbers from three.

 

Yes, but shooters are far more accurate today. Everyone playing basketball now has grown up with the three point shot, they’ve been practicing it since grade school. Bird’s rookie year was the first season it was in the NBA. Bird had four years he shot under 30% from three. Bird only had 5 years he shot over 40% from three. Nowdays tons of guys do that all the time.

 

[video=youtube;QjoJcnRqPUU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjoJcnRqPUU[/video]

 

You don't typically draw fouls shooting three pointers.

 

I was watching a GS game earlier this year and Curry shot from so far behind the line that it prompted my girlfriend to comment that it was a dumb shot since there is no 5 point line. But he made it, and so for now I give the deepest range title to Curry.

 

Lillard isn't only shooting 3 pointers though. There have been many times be drives to the bucket and gets fouled without a call. The moment the refs give him the Westbrook love, then teams must play differently. They can't crowd him from the perimeter, which gives him open shots.

He needs a deadly floater and ref love and he will be unstoppable!

 

A lot of that love is also learning how to create the contact better than he does now. Right now, Lilard often drives in knowing that he will likely get fouled, but some players force their opponents into positions where fouling is almost impossible to avoid. Most of the times that Lillard doesn't get the call, it seems like a toss up. He is still learning, and is actually doing better at this exact move than he did last year. But I don't want him to do what Rose does and get hammered non-stop either, because a healthy Lillard is a quality Lillard. If he could draw just 1 more foul a game, I think that would be about perfect for regular season play.

 

Bird had great range as did Pistol Pete. But the guy who had the best, (Or at least thought he did) was Freeman Williams. At Portland State the guy started looking to shoot as he crossed half court.

[video=youtube;PePD1faB1U8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PePD1faB1U8[/video]

 

Not sure what games you are watching, I see Lillard driving to the hoop creating contact all the time that the refs bail him out with a foul. He often isn’t even trying to get a quality shot as evident by his terrible shooting percentage at the rim. Lillard shoots 5.3 free throws a game. Westbrook is driving much more often than Lillard but only shoots 6.0 free throws a game.

 

JR Smith has some deep range as well.

 

A floater isn't a shot that generates fouls either.

Anyway, I'm not sure what more you want from the refs? His free throw rate is nearly doubled this year, but in those cases where he doesn't get a call I think there is a (correctable) problem with the way he finishes drives. I don't think he's quite mastered the art of finishing at the rim, more than he's being cheated by bad officiating.

It's hard to articulate, but I don't think he uses his body correctly while he's in the air and I frequently see defenders able to go straight up, without having to bring their arms down to bother his shot. In those cases the refs are actually calling it correctly, because a defender has the right to their "cylinder"