Hottest zone: Right wing, 3-point range
— 78-of-186 (41.9 percent)
— League average: 35.0 percent
Coldest zone: Middle, midrange
— 10-of-29 (34.5 percent)
— League average: (42.2 percent)
For a player who assumes as much offensive responsibility as Damian Lillard does, his mixture of efficiency and volume on his shot chart is that of a superstar.
The only true “cold spots” — sections below league average percentages — are right at the center of the court, around the free throw line. On film, it appears that, like most point guards, Lillard often has to use improv in these situations.
Oftentimes, it comes through pick-and-rolls, where defenses are either switching the big onto him, or running aggressive drops. Any Chris Paul fan will tell you: in those situations, that little high-arcing step-back typically gets the job done. I put together a few examples.
Lillard also attacks the rim with vigor, and matches fearlessness with efficiency. He’s only slightly below league average, which doesn’t tell the full story, since bigs are tracked, too. He shoots 54.6 percent on drives, which puts him on the doorstep with the best — think Derrick Rose (56.4), Luka Doncic and Russell Westbrook (56.2), as well as DeMar DeRozan (55.9).
But for the most part, Lillard knows exactly where and how to generate buckets. In 2K terms, he’s got the “Hall of Fame hot-zone hunter badge.” The Blazers star has taken 573 3-pointers — at an incredible 39.4 percent — and 547 of them have come either dead-center, or to the right or left wings.
And while we’ve established the obvious idea of Lillard being something special from nearly everywhere on the floor, what he’s doing on the right side of the floor deserves some added attention. Just about anywhere in that vicinity represents a hot spot for him. And the volume is nothing to sneeze at, either.