Mr Underrated: Damian Lillard
By Minh Dao
2016-17 Season
Let’s look at Lillard in comparison with other All-NBA guards:
Entire Season
A: 29-8-11 on 44-34-84, 61.3% TS and 1.95 AST/TO
B: 27-5-6 on 44-37-89, 58.6% TS and 2.23 AST/TO
C: 28-2-6 on 46-37-90, 62.5% TS and 2.13 AST/TO
D: 23-4-10 on 45-32-80, 54.1% TS and 2.58 AST/TO
Post All-Star
A: 28-7-11 on 43-33-83, 60.8% TS and 2.00 AST/TO
B: 30-5-6 on 47-41-88, 61.4% TS and 2.25 AST/TO
C: 26-2-5 on 45-36-90, 61.6% TS and 1.64 AST/TO
D: 23-3-10 on 44-35-78, 54.5% TS and 2.73 AST/TO
A is James Harden.
B is Damian Lillard.
C is Isaiah Thomas.
D is John Wall.
They were all the first option on playoff teams last season. Dame averaged career-highs in PPG, RPG while having the most efficient season of his career. More career-highs in FG%, FT%, EFG% and TS%.
He even kicked it up a gear post All-Star break. Yet, somehow, he didn’t receive the media coverage he deserved.
Maybe it’s the stigma of being in a small market. We can see it’s not the numbers.
Lillard was on par or better in terms of production and efficiency. Besides Wall, the others are considered below average defenders.
Although it only plays a small part, intangibles are a factor. Lillard has them covered there.
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And when it came down to the closing stretch, he stepped it up a notch. Don’t forget about the All-NBA and All-Star selection snubs as well.
You can bet he’s working his tail off to get better and better to prove the doubters wrong.
So next time you want to overlook Dame, think again; he’s elite no matter how you look at it.