Portland Trail Blazers: A closer look at the greatest stretch of Damian Lillard’s career
The greatest deep range shooter … already?
To see the whole picture, let’s take a step back. Step back anywhere from 30 feet or beyond; that’s Damian Lillard’s world, and one we’re just living in. No one is willing to admit it yet, but no player in the history of basketball has been able to match both Lillard’s accuracy and volume on shot attempts from that stratosphere (even you, Stephen Curry).
To put that into a reasonable vantage point: everyone twists the kaleidoscope to Curry’s 2015-16 season within view, and rightfully so. His blend of never-before-seen distance shooting was the seminal moment the rest of the league needed to explore those uncharted waters. But even his bombs weren’t as nuclear.
Shot tracking data has been available since the 2000-01 season. Earlier this week, Lillard became the first player to take at least 100 attempts in a single season from 30-feet and beyond in NBA history.
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What amazes you more? The fact that he’s hitting an insane 42.2 percent on those attempts? Or that no one else is even close? Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young is the only player within a stone’s throw of those parameters, a “close second,” with 74 attempts on 33.8 percent.
In 2015-16, Curry took those same shots 45 times, hitting 21. Lillard is essentially doing this with double the frequency, and triple the degree of difficulty, given his circumstances.
To add to the mystique, Lillard hasn’t missed a beat in late-game situations. We often hear of the NBA being a “make-or-miss league.” Thankfully, Lillard’s been just that, one 3-pointer shy of shooting 50 percent on those sorts of shots in the fourth quarter or overtime.