Lillard better without LMA, Lillard adjusted, or just weaker competition?

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Strenuus

Strenuus

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This is NOT to say that we should trade LMA, or some other nonsense... if you want to go down that road, that's fine. But I just wondered if it was any of 3 possibilities as to why Lillard has gone all "beast" mode (maybe not efficient, but it's still damn good)

I don't think he's better because LMA is out, but he does seem more free. I do think the competition has been weaker... but he's also taken it to the rack a lot since the ASG.

What say you on this?
 
I think his increased effectiveness has more to do with his ability to actually finish at the rim at the moment more then anything else. He came back with a swagger from the AS break and it shows, I dont think LA being off the court really has much to do with it.

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Picking up the slack. More shot attempts = more scoring.
 
He's obviously insulted that people want to trade him for Conley.
 
Wright might have something to do with Lillard being able to get to the rack more, as he pulls his PF counterpart out near the 3-point line, leaving more room in the paint for Dame to work.
 
He is being more aggressive instead of waiting for the 4th. He knows we need him to score the whole game with LA out.

Sure Wright spreads the floor when he starts at PF, but LA spreads the floor pretty well too. Lillard was in a slump before this stretch, but he also played his basket ball with LA too.

And I agree he is finally finishing better. And he will only get better at it too.
 
NBA Comparison: Jay Williams/Jerryd Bayless


Strengths: One of the most prolific scorers in the nation ... Possesses ideal size for an NBA point guard, standing about 6'2" with a nice wingspan ... Uses his strong frame well to absorb contact around the rim ... Extremely confident shooter that is dangerous at mid-range or well behind the arc ... Won't hesitate to square up from 25-28 away from the hoop ... Needs very little space or time to get off a quality shot ... Highly efficient for a volume shooter (43.2% on 7.1 three-point attempts per game) ... Is able to create his own shot or spot-up off the ball effectively ... Handles the ball fairly well ... Uses quick, short dribbles and changes of direction/speed to keep defenders off balance ... Is able to get in the paint at will, and is a crafty finisher around the rim ... Aggressive in transition, always looking to make something happen ... Lives at the stripe, attempting an average of 8.0 free-throws a game (88.4%) ... Quality passer, that has the ability to create for his teammates by driving into the lane and kicking the ball out ... Can be an effective on-ball defender ... Good hands ... Likes to pick his opponent's pocket ... Strong leader with a competitive drive ...

Weaknesses: Not a true point guard ... Looks for his own shot first, which is expected for a player with his talent in the Big Sky, but will leave scouts questioning whether he'll be able to make his teammates better at the next level ... Has improved his decision-making over the last few years, but can get carried away and take questionable shots when he gets hot ... Has been dominating all season, but hasn't faced very strong competition ...Missed an entire season before his junior year, so some thought has to be made about injury concerns ...


Overall: Lillard has NBA talent, but like most mid-major prospects, he hasn't proved that he can consistently produce against elite-level talent ... A team looking for a scoring point guard could be willing to roll the dice on him, perhaps as soon as the mid/late-lottery ... Tyler Ingle 3/8/12



Strengths: Late blooming 6’2 PG with ideal size and strength for the position … A standout scorer with the ability to knock down shots as well as strong penetration ability … Has a pretty pull up off the dribble and has range well past NBA 3 point ... Also has an effective catch and shoot … Excels at three point shooting: (39%) on a high volume of shots ... Quality ball handler ... Polished one on one skills … Nice quickness: Shows a strong ability to get by his man to the rim … Has the ability to use both hands on the drive … Also shows a developing floater in the lane when his drives get cut off by bigmen in the paint … Gets to the line well where he’s a quality 3 point shooter (85%) … Shows a the ability to run a team and get his shots within the flow of the offense … Quality pick and roll player … Wants the ball at the end of games, and steps up to the challenge when the game is on the line …

Weaknesses: Very good from outside and driving to the rim, but needs to improve his midrange game … Solid athlete, though not extraordinary … Assist to turnover ratio is good but could stand to improve 1.5-to-1 … Gets a little careless with the ball at times … Playing at Weber State, he will have to go above and beyond to get the recognition and respect he deserves … It is also questionable how much development/improvement he can make playing against inferior competition on a regular basis … Struggled down the stretch of the season in big games with his decision making. Will need to show that he can be a steadying influence and has the ability to elevate his game in big games situations … Makes better decisions in the half court than full. Will need to become better on the break …
Notes: Has really developed into a solid prospect in 2 years at Weber State ... Has first round talent if he can fill the remaining holes to his game …
Aran Smith 7/2/10


http://nbadraft.net/players/damian-lillard
 
Yes. Lillard is better without LA. LA is also better with Lillard. However, the Blazers are worse off in both cases. Since I like the Blazers more than either Lillard or Aldridge individually, I want them to continue to play together. Get healthy, LA!
 
I should add that Lillard's top 4 scoring games were all with Aldridge on the court.
 
Darkwebs said:
Wright might have something to do with Lillard being able to get to the rack more, as he pulls his PF counterpart out near the 3-point line, leaving more room in the paint for Dame to work.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I didn't think about it that way. Good take.

For the record, to all, I will reiterate that I am not saying Trade LA or LA is bad for the team, I just noticed this uptick and wondered that of the possiblities, what it could be. (I was going to put AS game stuff, but then the thread title is ridiculously long).
 
Darkwebs said:
Wright might have something to do with Lillard being able to get to the rack more, as he pulls his PF counterpart out near the 3-point line, leaving more room in the paint for Dame to work.
Click to expand...

So you're saying Aldridge needs to take more 3s?
 
He's being forced to score because he can't rely on LaMarcus. It's a good thing, and hopefully something that'll carry over when LaMarcus comes back. Love Wes, Batum and crew, but Lillard is the guy who if he'll step up in times outside of the 4th and when the team is in a hole, we'll be much better off. Also, weak competition, not complaining though!
 
I personally think he and the rest of the team have redirected their focus after the break and it's back to winning. He is doing what he has to do to help this team be successful. With or without LA.
 
I think the All-Star game jump started him, like some of us hoped it would.

I would also like to point out that Dame attempted 13 FTA tonight. That HAS to be a career high. He's starting to get the star treatment and I think he's starting to think like a star. He's averaging 30.5 points in the 4 games since the All-Star break. Some of that might be because he's getting more shots, some of it might be because LA is out, but I think a lot of it is because he's getting his swagger back.
 
Darkwebs said:
Wright might have something to do with Lillard being able to get to the rack more, as he pulls his PF counterpart out near the 3-point line, leaving more room in the paint for Dame to work.
Click to expand...

That would make sense if LA did not take 80% of his shots 2 feet in front of the three point line.
 
No but lanes do seem more open because the guy guarding Wright has to closeout on him. I'm surprised more teams aren't trapping Dame
 
In four games he's 30/4/6 on 50/40/90 shooting.

Sick numbers.
 
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I do think there's some truth to the Wright theory. However, that's also a huge liability on defense. This is why I would really like to have a stretch 4 (who can guard the post on D) like Frye. If he could give 14 mpg w/Dame & Robinson while Aldridge is on the bench I think that would be a great lineup of floor spacers for Dame to either iso or pick n roll w/Robinson (where Robinson is going to be most effective). Also, the stretch 4 could hit the D boards hard b/c he'll be inside while Robinson races down the court for fast breaks and, because he'll generally be out on the perimeter get back on D while Robinson plays to his strength hitting the O boards hard. Lastly, it would be nice to have at least 1 player on the team who can set a good perimeter screen that defenders need to stick with as a three point threat!

Also, he could go 10-15 mpg next to Aldridge w/Dame on the bench (especially if we have a PG who can make an entry pass, which we don't right now!) for Aldridge to beast inside on other teams b/u or undersized defenders. Aldridge doesn't like playing C, but he could do it 15 mpg, against b/u's, next to a guy who will defend the post.

F combos (mpg)
Aldridge/Lopez (24, ideal)
Frye/Robinson (10, Dame iso)
Aldridge/Frye (10, LMA iso)
Robinson/Lopez (4, defense/rebounding)

Aldridge - 34, Lopez - 28, Frye - 20, Robinson - 14
 
Some of it's getting more shots, some of it's better spacing with Wright, some of it just seems like him taking another step forward in his development, and some of it is just teams being a little caught off guard having to play against a totally different offense without LMA in.

Not many guys can take a big step up in scoring load like Lillard has with LMA out and be even more efficient, I would like to see him stay aggressive like this even when LMA comes back to see if he can keep it up, maybe not to the tune of 30 every night but keep getting 20 attempts and 7 or 8 FTs and we'll be in good shape. The team wouldn't be where it is without LMA, but swapping Lillard and LMA as options 1 and 2 on offense would be a an improvement moving forward IMO.
 
shamelessblazer said:
I do think there's some truth to the Wright theory. However, that's also a huge liability on defense. This is why I would really like to have a stretch 4 (who can guard the post on D) like Frye. If he could give 14 mpg w/Dame & Robinson while Aldridge is on the bench I think that would be a great lineup of floor spacers for Dame to either iso or pick n roll w/Robinson (where Robinson is going to be most effective). Also, the stretch 4 could hit the D boards hard b/c he'll be inside while Robinson races down the court for fast breaks and, because he'll generally be out on the perimeter get back on D while Robinson plays to his strength hitting the O boards hard. Lastly, it would be nice to have at least 1 player on the team who can set a good perimeter screen that defenders need to stick with as a three point threat!

Also, he could go 10-15 mpg next to Aldridge w/Dame on the bench (especially if we have a PG who can make an entry pass, which we don't right now!) for Aldridge to beast inside on other teams b/u or undersized defenders. Aldridge doesn't like playing C, but he could do it 15 mpg, against b/u's, next to a guy who will defend the post.

F combos (mpg)
Aldridge/Lopez (24, ideal)
Frye/Robinson (10, Dame iso)
Aldridge/Frye (10, LMA iso)
Robinson/Lopez (4, defense/rebounding)

Aldridge - 34, Lopez - 28, Frye - 20, Robinson - 14
Click to expand...

This is the best case for Frye I've seen.
 
In addition to whatever other reasons, maybe he picked up a tip or two at the ASG re taking the ball to the basket and finishing better or drawing the foul. I know in the past he would drive in and not get the basket or the foul far too often. He's beasting at the rim and the free throw line since the ASG.
 
More shots + more aggressiveness = better numbers. The Blazers were extremely lucky to win last night, though. With Ty Lawson, I don't think the Blazers win that game. The rebounding was embarrassing, but a win is a win.
 
Natebishop3 said:
I think the All-Star game jump started him, like some of us hoped it would.

I would also like to point out that Dame attempted 13 FTA tonight. That HAS to be a career high. He's starting to get the star treatment and I think he's starting to think like a star. He's averaging 30.5 points in the 4 games since the All-Star break. Some of that might be because he's getting more shots, some of it might be because LA is out, but I think a lot of it is because he's getting his swagger back.
Click to expand...

His sudden ability to finish at the rim, like he stayed in 90's Jordan's Holiday Inn Express room over the ASG is definitely a big part of it; he's way way above 50% at the rim now, and that's translating into something like 6-8 more points and respect from the refs: if you normally make a shot and suddenly miss, you're more likely to get a call than if you normally don't make a shot from that spot.
 
Fez Hammersticks said:
In four games he's 30/4/6 on 50/40/90 shooting.

Sick numbers.
Click to expand...

The sign of a star is a player that steps up his game when someone goes down. Lillard hasn't just put this team on his back, his increased volume hasn't experienced a tradeoff with efficiency.
 
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