Damian Lillard’s Trail Blazers career has reached a turning point as his legacy is cementing. We feel it, the fans feel it, the record books are feeling it and Dame is feeling it too. On Monday night, Lillard overtook Clyde Drexler to become the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. Lillard’s career has been an exciting one, but the opportunity for him to remain meaningful beyond this generation is slipping away. For years in the mid-2010s, a group of NBA insiders or fans tried to argue that Lillard was on Steph Curry’s existence plane as a shooter.
Over time, the opposite has disappeared. Some doofuses still exist, but recognizing Curry as the Patronus of the shooters has become a mainstream basketball tradition. However, Lillard clearly felt overshadowed by Curry’s accomplishments. Two years ago, he commented on struggling curry didn’t have his All-Star co-star and ended up having to eat his word.
His most recent blasphemy could be worse. In his post-match address on Monday, Lillard explained where he believes he should rank among the best AD carry in league history.
“I always see content on social media where they talk about the greatest shooters of all time and they always act like it’s crazy when people mention me,” Lillard said. “I think about how many times I’ve done triples, how consistent I’ve been doing them, how hard it is that I’ve tripled over the years and years, I just think it’s crazy not to mention me. in those times. discussions.”
Lillard continued with his explanation, but it didn’t get any better.
“Obviously I think Steph is the greatest ever, but I think after him, I don’t see why I was so unclear in that discussion, not only in terms of production but also in terms of production. the way I film, the way I create difficult photos. time, how easy it is for me to kick the ball,” added Lillard. “I’m looking forward to continuing to climb that list so once I’m in that top two, that top three, I’m curious to know what people will say about me as a shooter at that point in time. there.”
When Lillard pushed herself into the all-time top two or three he’s probably referring to the 3-point list that’s been made in his career, but booiiiiiiiii… Sometimes, the supreme confidence that helps him to hit the 30-foot shot without concern, goes a little too far. Lillard was great, but he didn’t even make it to Mt. NBA Shooter’s Rushmore.
Even if you stick with modern times NBA, Kevin Durant is the purest elite shooter replacement for Curry. His career three-point shot rate of 38% is about the same as Lillard’s except that he’s also one of the preeminent mid lanerslimit shooter of the modern era and he also completed it in the post-season. Durant’s tall, lanky arms extend beyond most peninsulas, making his shot unstoppable as he rises and extends. There’s a reason his form is the standard by which to measure Victor Wambanyama’s circumferential shot.
Durant is overlooked because he’s bigger, he’s not as crafty and sometimes he prefers to go mid-range jump rather than launch a drone rocket from the logo. Due to his enormous size and length, Durant is not limited to his shots into the basket, so his scoring record doesn’t depend much on arcs. But when he does, he is a force to be reckoned with.
To Lillard’s prestige, he established himself as one of the the two most prolific shooters beyond 30 feet in NBA history. That’s partly because, until recently, using “bad photo” from that distance was frowned upon. Between 2015-16 and 2021, Lillard’s effectiveness is higher compare with Trae Young’s shooting volume than Curry’s steamy work. The disparity between Lillard and Curry of 30 feet or more was so great that during that period Curry was more accurate on the ball than Lillard from 24 feet. outside.
Lillard was a pioneer in the transcontinental 3-pointer, but Curry’s placement as runner-up was a journey to the top of Everest. Lillard’s belief in himself is both overconfidence and a classic example of recent bias madness. Currently, he is about 1,000 points behind Ray Allen and 1,300 points behind Reggie Miller. Larry Bird wasn’t lucky enough to get into the 3-point era, but his shooting ability is almost mythical.
Miller and Allen are marksmen who can mimic the Mesozoic era of 3-point arcs. Allen is especially a master of long-range attacks. His figure had been frozen in amber for nearly two decades. His consistency is unmatched and in Allen’s early days he was an elite three-level scorer who could finish off the line.
But all of this is moot without Lillard admitting the only other player with a personal track record matching Curry and whose culture held the belt of the greatest shooter until Curry ascended. throne. Larry Bird is an absolute marksman, MVP, and the three-time champion has an arsenal of long-range shots, long-range shots, and the occasional game of HORSE crunch time.
Six times, Bird shot 40 percent farther, but rarely did more than once three times a night in his first years in the coincident league. with the introduction of the 3-point line and the exclusive establishment of the first 3-point line trioontests until he withdraws from the event.
In an era where shooting from a distance is an afterthought, Bird can still participate exclusively
50-40-90 twice while Lillard has just finished a season with a 3-point shot above 0.400. Bird deserves respect with his name. But so is Kyrie Irving, who stormed the 50-40-90 club, and former Irving coach Steve Nash, who joined the club four times.
Lillard is an exceptional long-distance assassin, but that makes him considered the best marksman of all time no name Wardell is the high bar. It was a bustling list that left Lillard out of the crowd.
