Skip to the 2:20 part of this vid, I had no idea he could do these type of dunks! He reminds me of Roy with his sneaky athleticism and hopefully he can use it more often as he continues to find his game in the NBA. [video=youtube;_hZTUVsiNeI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hZTUVsiNeI[/video]
I am just fine with that too. I appreciate his chest passes and body control more than I will ever care about the occasional flashy dunks. His conditioning and smarts bode well for a healthy career.
I like how Mike Rice and Aldridge have both matter of factly said that Lillard will be an All Star next year. He will be. He'll average 22-24ppg and 7-8 apg next year. MVP\Superstar level.
I have no doubts about that KS. I am noting the increased frequency of straight up gushing over him by opposing team's broadcasters. He's easily the most marketable player we've had in ages. He has the complete package of talent, smarts and personality.
I would rather have Lillard be more like a Chauncey Billups than a Derrick Rose in my opinion. Players that depend more on athleticism tend to get injured more. Especially point guards.
“We go about our approach the same way, It's natural. We're both quiet. I'm always in my own element. I'm not trying to be what other guys are. I'm in control and comfortable and he seems the same way. Other than him being arguably the best point guard in the league, I think we're the same in a lot of ways.” ~Damian Lillard on Derrick Rose
Just for comparison Lillard dunks [video=youtube;vRdbBpRLyHA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRdbBpRLyHA[/video] [video=youtube;pKC9YGtBHd4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKC9YGtBHd4[/video] [video=youtube;j0uX820eRZQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0uX820eRZQ[/video] [video=youtube;XJUVlPQZqVY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJUVlPQZqVY[/video]
Derrick Rose dunks [video=youtube;9D9fNb8blGo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D9fNb8blGo[/video] Steve Francis [video=youtube;e-2itVYnZRI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-2itVYnZRI[/video]
I'm thinking more along the lines of Kevin Johnson [video=youtube;lhkQFkv-c9M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhkQFkv-c9M[/video] [video=youtube;Q0CFhahCzF8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0CFhahCzF8[/video]
Which might be a good thing. Look what happened to Stevie Francis game when he lost half a step, and look what happened to Rose. Freak athletes seem to have more freak injuries. There are limits to what the human frame can take in terms of jumping and hard cuts before something gives.
Kevin Johnson, yes. I think around November (which was pretty early) there was a thread talking about comparisons for Lillard, and a some were mentioning Rose, but I thought of and agreed with a poster who metioned - Kevin Johnson - a scoring point, with a great jump shot, who had good athletic skills.
You bring up a good point. That's always been my concern with Elliot Williams, almost too athletic, he makes me cringe when he skies to the basic without regard.
Not to mention that these freaky athletic types are the first to loose their skills with age. When you depend on smarts and shooting you have more longevity in this league. I do like the Rose Lillard comparison though, especially in their demeanor. I think Lil is a better outside shot, but Rose is better at finishing or getting to the rim.
He's like Isiah Thomas in my opinion. Hopefully he'll be a better GM though if he chooses that career path.
