Raptors NBA Draft Thread: Damian Lillard (POR)

[kingz32]

Yeah......but we already have that potential with Bayless....

Bayless will never be what you want him to be. And isn't strong enough to absorb continuous contact in the lane. We bring Lillard in and back him up with Calderon to add a change of pace and stability to the PG position and we're good.

The thing with Bayless is that he's only effective when he starts. He's also been getting injured too often for the pass two seasons, it makes me wonder how durable he's going to be. His injured his ankle about 4 or 5 times in the pass two seasons.

Thats why we need to ditch him. We need to roll the dice on a Russel Westbrook type PG in Lillard. When you have a scoring PG it really takes pressure off everyone else because defenses aren't just thinking of marking the players off the ball they're thinking about cutting off dribble penetration. He also shoots well in the mid range coming off screens. So in situations where Val is open after the screen he will dish the ball to him if not he will look like he's passing the ball to Val but instead make a hesitation dribble and shoot the mid range jumper. Music to my ears.

[kingz32]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--lWs2yKCGo&feature=relmfu[/youtube]

[RaptorReloaded]

The thing with Bayless is his body. He's short in height and wingspan. Lillard doesn't have that problem. 6'2 is a good height for a pg plus a 6'9 wingspan makes him somewhat of a freak. With those attributes he could become a pretty good player in the league. His handle and shot are something to watch too. He splits double teams really well.

[kingz32]

Lillard says "I think the same way as Michael Jordan"

[Deadpool_X]

Add me to the bandwagon. The difference between Lillard and most other "score first" point guards that have been in the draft recently, is his body. He has great size and a large wingspan. This plus the fact he never looks like he is rushing is why I think he is going to be above average.

You let Bayless go, and hopefully restructure Jose's contract (if he will do it)
Uzoh is nothing but a third stringer no matter how much you like him. He doesn't do anything special.

[joseph235]

The thing with Bayless is his body. He's short in height and wingspan. Lillard doesn't have that problem. 6'2 is a good height for a pg plus a 6'9 wingspan makes him somewhat of a freak. With those attributes he could become a pretty good player in the league. His handle and shot are something to watch too. He splits double teams really well.

6'9 wingspan damn... that's Rondo territory.

[DG88]

This was pretty nice to watch.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKCp1tkGKtM&feature=g-vrec[/youtube]

[JYD]

The thing with Bayless is his body. He's short in height and wingspan. Lillard doesn't have that problem. 6'2 is a good height for a pg plus a 6'9 wingspan makes him somewhat of a freak. With those attributes he could become a pretty good player in the league. His handle and shot are something to watch too. He splits double teams really well.

But size alone will not make Lilliard a good PG. He looks a lot like Bayless to me with the way he plays. I've read he looks to have good PnR instincts, but I wonder just how good they are. I get the feeling maybe he looks ok in PnR and it's being overhyped...rather than being a guy with very good instincts in that situation.

Obviously we should be hoping he impresses in PnR during workouts to increase our options, I won't be holding my breath though.

[Double Helix]

It's not very common to find any PGs who are both efficient and aggressive attacking the nets.

Here are the FTA leaders with PERs above 16.0

1) Westbrook
2) Rose
3) Wade (more SG, I know)
4) Wall
5) Stuckey (the player who paved the way for Lillard and showed that studs in the Big Sky conference can find success)
6) Deron Williams
7) Jeremy Lin
8) Chris Paul
9) Monta Ellis (more of a 2 as well)
10) Tony Parker

And here are the TS% leaders at the PG spot with player who have PERS of 16.0 or better

1) Steve Nash
2) Stephen Curry
3) Chris Paul
4) Ty Lawson
5) Isaiah Thomas
6) Goran Dragic
7) Kyrie Irving
8) Devin Harris
9) Jerry Bayless
10) Dwayne Wade

On the one hand seeing Bayless in the top 10 in the second category only serves to remind of what we already have and how good he can be when he's given minutes and opportunity. I am a big Bayless fan and wish it could work out somehow with him as our lead guard a lot of the time (Certainly would make building easier!). On the other hand, I think it goes to show you why Lillard's digits are so interesting.

The Lindsay Hunter comparison nbadraft.net has up is weak. Hunter had a career TS% of .484 and just relied on speed all the time. Mo Williams as a comparison is certainly much more realistic than but none of these are good. Maybe he's the King's Isiah Thomas with more height? Maybe he's a very poor man's Kyrie Irving (Who also has a great TS% and solid attacking abiilty at 6'2)? Maybe he's a skinnier, taller Jameer Nelson? Lillard's metrics, height, frame, and videos all highlight that he's a pretty unique guard without any great comparison point. One thing I do know... 6'2 PGs that get into the lane at will... that can create contact and finish in a variety of ways... that are willing to pass out (even when teammates are crap)... that can shoot off the bounce, and off the catch and shoot from all over the court at elite %s aren't common.

I don't care if his low release point reminds me of 6'0 Allen Iverson's low release point. If it goes in with the regularity it seems to, he should be okay. See what I did there?

[kingz32]

David Aldridge on Lillard:

Weber State's Lillard is ranked just as highly as Marshall by some teams -- "Lillard's probably my favorite," a Central Division executive said -- though he doesn't have Marshall's natural passing skills. But Lillard, who finished second in the country in scoring (24.5 points per game), is a big-time scorer who does it efficiently, a skill that will serve him well in the NBA, though he may not wind up being a lottery pick.

"He almost lets the game come to him," a Northwest Division scout said. "You like guys who let the game come to them. But he almost did it to a fault. I wouldn't call him a selfish scorer. He's a willing passer, but I don't know if he's a natural passer."

That is OK with some talent evaluators.

"He's got a better feel for the point guard position, but he reminds me a little of Mo Williams -- similar size, can shoot," a Central Division evaluator says. "He's going to be able to manage the point guard position a little more. He plays on a team where he probably could take seven or eight more shots, but he makes the right basketball play. I watched him in a game and he had a quiet 25 -- and they won, too."

Some compare Lillard to Detroit combo guard Rodney Stuckey. Coming out of Eastern Washington, he had to show he could make the adjustment to the NBA from a smaller school.

"Even though he's small college [guy], with guys like Stuckey and George Hill having success Iike they have, I don't think that's held against you like it used to be," a Southwest Division executive said.

But some have questions. One Pacific Division executive believes Lillard is, at best, a backup.

"As a point guard, you want guys to be more assertive, more aggressive, and he's more passive, which is a rarity," a Northwest scout said.

http://www.nba.com/news/features/david_ ... index.html

[Double Helix]

I just read his own assessment of his game here:

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1176399&start=75

And I absolutely love the Jeff Teague comparison. I was having a tough time trying to come up with somebody who made sense and wasn't happy with the Mo Williams comparison entirely but the Teague one makes sense, I think.

[Eating a Book]

I just read his own assessment of his game here:

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1176399&start=75

And I absolutely love the Jeff Teague comparison. I was having a tough time trying to come up with somebody who made sense and wasn't happy with the Mo Williams comparison entirely but the Teague one makes sense, I think.

I think Lillard is a bit of a better passer in tight quarters than Teague is, and will be a bit of a better scorer due to the efficiency with which he uses the space he gets and creates. Lillard cuts it very close going around screens when he has the ball, and seems to have a very good sense of where his own players are on the floor in relation to the defenders, and really works to pull the defenders away from those spots while looking for a way to get his players the ball with the space he makes.

[jigga_man]

Thats why we need to ditch him. We need to roll the dice on a Russel Westbrook type PG in Lillard. When you have a scoring PG it really takes pressure off everyone else because defenses aren't just thinking of marking the players off the ball they're thinking about cutting off dribble penetration. He also shoots well in the mid range coming off screens. So in situations where Val is open after the screen he will dish the ball to him if not he will look like he's passing the ball to Val but instead make a hesitation dribble and shoot the mid range jumper. Music to my ears.

I wish people would stop with the Russel Westbrook comparisons. Some even did it with Avery Bradely a couple years back. Westbrook is by far the most explosive guard in the league. Nobody has his kind of quickness off the dribble. Lillard is not even close to that talent level.

seems like any prospect who is a guard, shoot first pg, that has some quickness=Westbrook.

[Double Helix]

Good points. Teague's ass:to at Wake Forrest was negative 1 and Lillard was arguably asked to do more with more defensive attention focused on him. He seems like a modest guy and the Teague comparison is reasonable enough without sounding boastful. He very well could end up better than Teague and if he does by even a smidgen he'll end up being a very good PG. Teague's solid. I like Teague as a pro more than I thought I would.

[MEDIC]

We need to roll the dice on a Russel Westbrook type PG in Lillard.

Russel Westbrook type player? C'mon. Westbrook is freak, just like Rose.

Lillard has decent athleticism, but nothing special.

Lillard MIGHT be a Jennings type PG, but he doesn't have Jennings speed.

The thing with Bayless is his body. He's short in height and wingspan. Lillard doesn't have that problem. 6'2 is a good height for a pg plus a 6'9 wingspan makes him somewhat of a freak. With those attributes he could become a pretty good player in the league. His handle and shot are something to watch too. He splits double teams really well.

Ummmm......Bayless is 6'2" without shoes.....

I have to agree with people though. The injuries are a concern.

[Eating a Book]

Good points. Teague's ass:to at Wake Forrest was negative 1 and Lillard was arguably asked to do more with more defensive attention focused on him. He seems like a modest guy and the Teague comparison is reasonable enough without sounding boastful. He very well could end up better than Teague and if he does by even a smidgen he'll end up being a very good PG. Teague's solid. I like Teague as a pro more than I thought I would.

I worry about Teague a bit. Playing with Hinrich, Johnson, and Smith means that he's got three guys who can set up an offense, which really takes the pressure off him. If Teague played for the Raps, I'm not sure he'd look too good from the standpoint of offensive structure. James Johnson would have had the ball A LOT.

But I do agree -- Teague as a pro has been quite good in a lot of ways. I'm just selfish and want Lillard to be better if there's a chance we get him.

[kingz32]

Thats why we need to ditch him. We need to roll the dice on a Russel Westbrook type PG in Lillard. When you have a scoring PG it really takes pressure off everyone else because defenses aren't just thinking of marking the players off the ball they're thinking about cutting off dribble penetration. He also shoots well in the mid range coming off screens. So in situations where Val is open after the screen he will dish the ball to him if not he will look like he's passing the ball to Val but instead make a hesitation dribble and shoot the mid range jumper. Music to my ears.

I wish people would stop with the Russel Westbrook comparisons. Some even did it with Avery Bradely a couple years back. Westbrook is by far the most explosive guard in the league. Nobody has his kind of quickness off the dribble. Lillard is not even close to that talent level.

seems like any prospect who is a guard, shoot first pg, that has some quickness=Westbrook.

Westbrook didn't play the way he does now while he was at UCLA. He developed greatly. So when you hear the comparisons they are relative to Westbrook's playing style while at UCLA, and potential to improve just as he did into a similar form of player.

[DG88]

I just read his own assessment of his game here:

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1176399&start=75

And I absolutely love the Jeff Teague comparison. I was having a tough time trying to come up with somebody who made sense and wasn't happy with the Mo Williams comparison entirely but the Teague one makes sense, I think.

I think Lillard is a bit of a better passer in tight quarters than Teague is, and will be a bit of a better scorer due to the efficiency with which he uses the space he gets and creates. Lillard cuts it very close going around screens when he has the ball, and seems to have a very good sense of where his own players are on the floor in relation to the defenders, and really works to pull the defenders away from those spots while looking for a way to get his players the ball with the space he makes.

Pretty much since his handle is very tight he can get by the initial defender off the hedge causing the defense to collapse. He knows this instinctively, him and Bargs in a pick and pop situation would be hard to defend with Lillards ability to penetrate into the lane and shoot from anywhere on the court. Add that to Bargs ability to shoot from distance. Lillard also does a great job of leading the break in transition and makes good lead passes on the break as well. Casey has been saying that we need to push the tempo more next year to give us easy baskets.

[MEDIC]

So those of you that want us to draft Lillard at 8:

1. Do you see him as a lead guard in the NBA?

2. What do you see him averaging?

[Basketball_Jones]

I can see him putting up Mo Williams type of numbers, which is one of the better case scenarios for him imo. I don't see him being that much better then that, but obviously the guy may totally overachieve there who knows.