Everyone wants to compare Lillard to vets PERs, and not what they were like as rookies, saw it all last year. Lillard's Rookie stats were very comparable to most of the "elite" PGs rookie seasons. But logic doesn't help their point, or get them more hits on their website, so don't expect to see it used.
Maybe if there were a "most forgotten about PG" category, he would show up there (assuming that's different than "underrated")?
Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall a lot of people making a case that Damian was an elite PG last year. Everyone seems to love him (me too) but most acknowledged that he wasn't in the top tier. Go Blazers
I think most fans would still put him below guys like Irving, Paul, Williams, etc. I think he's on that tier with Wall, Holiday, Curry, etc, but I also think Curry is climbing the charts. He could very well be on the top tier next season.
John Lucas III put up a 16.4 PER for the Bulls when he got PT because everyone else was hurt. Go figure.
BITE YOUR TONGUE!! [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAeV9PIgi34&feature=c4-overview&list=UUrHG7i-sOUMYLfEvoS3CGog[/video] And you must have missed what he did to Pop and the Big 3 here for a beatdown: [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GePouc4fy98&feature=c4-overview&list=UUrHG7i-sOUMYLfEvoS3CGog[/video]
Chris Haynes @ChrisBHaynes - Gary Payton being hired by Fox Sports 1 has made it difficult for #Blazers Damian Lillard, others to get a workout date. Sides still trying. That's interesting, I was just thinking about this today. I follow both GP and Lillard on twitter and hadn't seen either one mention about getting together. I really hope GP is able to make the time to work with Lillard.
Defense is the one area that playing for a small college hurt Lillard. He never had to guard players that were anywhere close to being as good as him. I know that Lillard is driven to be better but learning a few tips and tricks from someone like Payton would be invaluable.
One thing they talk a lot about when it comes to Lillard is his ability to run the pick and roll. It's a strength of his. One radio play by play guy said he ran it so well that it makes him think of John Stockton. So...If Damian wants to make a name for himself and set himself apart from these other score first points. Perhaps he needs to focus on this one area. Area of distribution. We all know he can score. Everyone of those top tier point guards can do that. But not all of them are great distributors. As a matter of fact. I think it's a lost art. They just don't distribute the ball the way they did, 25 years ago. So if he is looking for away to set himself apart from the rest. Maybe he needs to perfect his game in this one area. I would love to see him average 10 assists a game. At least. And make them think of him in the same sentence as John Stockton.
Agree, the extra depth will help. The other area he can set himself apart from the rest is in the area of defense. He seems to be pretty serious about it. When he gets his shot he needs to listen to everything GP has to say. GP helped turn Kobe into one of the leagues best defenders. I feel he can help Damian be just as effective. As a matter of fact. Damian, his size and build reminds me of Payton's. If Damian could be Stockton offensively and GP Defensively. That's a pretty good ball player...
You know, Lillard had a better rookie PER than Wilt. He's going to score 100 points in a game and average over 50 for a season. For sure.
