Its Not Damian Lillard's Fault (Film Study)

[BonesJones]

This is the first film study type of video I've tried to do. I can't playback my videos because it crashes my computer, so I can't rewatch the video. So the video didn't turn out quite how I wanted it, it came out kind of wonky, and has some errors, but pause the video where I pause. Look at the sets, look at the spacing, look at the lack of off-ball movement, and just study the floor and the situations Dame is in.

Common themes:
- Not diving from the corner when we should.
- Players not getting into the passing window when Dame is trapped.
- Too many pick n rolls, many way too far from the rim
- Not enough off ball action resulting in shots for Dame
- No set plays with cuts to the rim.

 

[handiman]

How is the leader on the floor not demanding that activity? None of it adds up free of contradictions.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

How is the leader on the floor not demanding that activity? None of it adds up free of contradictions.

How is the coach not demanding it?

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I remember that play with Aminu not cutting and scratching my head. I don't know if he is not an instinctual player or if he has been coached to always stay on the three point line. He seemed conflicted.

 

[jlprk]

I vastly prefer the rookie Simple Lillard to today's Tricky Lillard. Stotts has taught him to take many hopeless shots to try to get fouled. Usually he misses and gets no foul. Stotts and Lillard only make themselves look stupid when they assume the defender will be stupid.

Trickiness = inefficiency.

 

[handiman]

How is the coach not demanding it?

Like I said, it doesn't add up.

If Stotts is demanding it, then none of the players are following through on the game plan, Lillard included.

If Stotts isn't demanding it, then Lillard as the unquestioned leader isn't demanding it.

Even if you exclude Lillard from the list of players not following Stotts' direction, he's doing an awful job as the leader of getting his teammates to do what they're supposed to. The only other explanation is that everyone else on the roster is a terrible basketball player and lousy human being, incapable of advancing beyond Jr High ball and/or passing 3rd grade.

 

[jlprk]

About 6 weeks before the draft, Lillard was considered a late 1st-round pick. Olshey started blabbing his mouth, and Lillard slowly climbed in the mock drafts until reaching Portland's spot at #6.

The reason he hadn't been noticed? He was considered a tiny SG, not a PG. Olshey, to his credit, saw PG skills, and then featured the rookie Lillard, who led the league in minutes, to make sure Olshey looked good and secure his new GM job. Olshey then never adequately replaced Aldridge and Batum, retaining a guard-oriented team, because Lillard was his be-all to end-all.

Now we hear that Lillard is short on some PG skills, like involving his teammates. It's no surprise if you know the history. Olshey used the same trick to elevate (and pre-draft, overrate the PG skills of) McCollum, who is much more severely short of court vision, so Lillard can't defer to the other guard in games when Lillard's PG skills are flagging.

 

[LuckyShot]

Kinda blows that other video out of the water where the guy tries to make it look like we're getting tons of easy looks and just bricking them all. It's a little of column A and a little of column B, but I notice far more possessions like the ones in this video than ones in the other video. I'm probably just not being a real fan though, right?

 

[Blazers Roy]

I love Dame, but i can't ignore the fact that EVERY ONE of our shitshows included him chucking up shots from 30'.
Yea, it's cool if it goes in, but can you really call it a solid basketball move?

 

[handiman]

About 6 weeks before the draft, Lillard was considered a late 1st-round pick. Olshey started blabbing his mouth, and Lillard slowly climbed in the mock drafts until reaching Portland's spot at #6.

The reason he hadn't been noticed? He was considered a tiny SG, not a PG. Olshey, to his credit, saw PG skills, and then featured the rookie Lillard, who led the league in minutes, to make sure Olshey looked good and secure his new GM job. Olshey then never adequately replaced Aldridge and Batum, retaining a guard-oriented team, because Lillard was his be-all to end-all.

Now we hear that Lillard is short on some PG skills, like involving his teammates. It's no surprise if you know the history. Olshey used the same trick to elevate (and pre-draft, overrate the PG skills of) McCollum, who is much more severely short of court vision, so Lillard can't defer to the other guard in games when Lillard's PG skills are flagging.

Revisionist much? Lillard came out of college known as a scoring PG who excelled at running the Pick 'n Roll. You know, exactly the type of lead ball handler you need in the NBA nowadays.

The problem is, his passing skills haven't increased anywhere near the rate of growth of the rest of his game, if at all.