tlongII
12-03-2012, 10:34 PM
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2012/12/never_rattled_lillard_shakes_up_the_nba.html
http://media.oregonlive.com/blazers_impact/photo/11942331-large.jpg
Accomplishments of recent notable point guards in their first month.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- As the Trail Blazers travel from city to city on the NBA circuit, coach Terry Stotts begins his evening by meeting with a throng of reporters for a brief pregame question-and-answer session.
By now, after visits to 10 cities over the first 32 days of the season, Stotts has learned to expect the expected. Inevitably, at some point during the group interview, a local reporter will inquire about the player who has become one of the NBA's best early-season stories.
"Hey coach, what do you think about Damian Lillard?" one might ask.
"What makes Lillard so good?" another might inquire.
It's become so commonplace, Stotts has run out of fresh material, so he regularly regurgitates the same few phrases over and over. It's so predictable, occasionally Stotts will turn to The Oregonian's traveling Blazers beat reporter and ask if he wants to answer for him.
"Well," Stotts, or The Oregonian's reporter, will start, "Damian's poised. And he's mature beyond his years."
The NBA will release its monthly individual honors Monday and Lillard, the Blazers' electric, do-it-all rookie point guard, almost certainly will win the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award. After 16 games -- which factored into the league's decision -- Lillard led all rookies in scoring (18.4 points per game), assists (5.9), steals (1.38), field goals (102) and minutes played (36.8), while ranking 11th in rebounding (3.1) and fourth in free-throw shooting percentage (83.9).
His first month in the NBA was so dynamic, so polished, Lillard's lofty statistical accomplishments regularly drew comparisons to some of the best players in NBA history. Players like Oscar Robertson, Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson. It started on opening night, when Lillard had 23 points and 11 assists in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, becoming just the third player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and 10 assists in a debut. Robertson and Thomas are the others.
One accomplishment after another followed in the next 15 games. After three games, Lillard became just the second player, along with Robertson, to record at least 20 points and seven assists in every game. He's the second player in franchise history to score at least 20 points in his first three NBA games, joining Geoff Petrie. And Lillard became the first player since Allen Iverson in 1996 to register at least 295 points and 94 assists over his first 16 games.
He scored at least 20 points nine times in his first 16 games, more than any other point guard in the NBA this season. And while Stotts has run out of ways to explain how special his point guard is, other coaches around the NBA have little trouble doing so.
"A very good, solid point guard for a rookie," Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "You could see it at Weber State, you could see it at Summer League, that he was going to be good. Very mature. He is a true point guard. I do believe that. He really tries to get his teammates involved. But he's a guy who can score when he has to. I like him, I think he's a very good player."
Lillard's first 16 games stack up favorably against some of the NBA's best point guards, including several recent Rookie of the Year winners. His statistical line after 16 games (18.4 points, 5.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 1.38 steals) was eerily similar to that of Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose (18.4 points, 5.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 steals), who was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009 and NBA MVP in 2011.
Through 16 games, Lillard was averaging more points than Chris Paul (16.9), Deron Williams (14.0), Russell Westbrook (12.1), Brandon Roy (13.8) and Steve Francis (17.6) and more assists than Williams (4.8), Westbrook (3.8) and Roy (3.0). Lillard's 39 three-pointers were more than Allen Iverson (37), Francis (27) or Williams (24) had made through the first 16 games of their NBA careers.
Quite simply, Lillard had one of the best opening months for a rookie point guard in recent memory. Lillard has shown a smooth shooting stroke, a natural feel for the NBA game and an ability to carry a team with a calm precision, all while running the pick-and-roll with the steadiness of a seven-time All-Star.
But more than all of that, perhaps his best asset is his demeanor, which is unflappable and always composed. If you had talked to Lillard after the Blazers became the first team to lose to the Washington Wizards and after they snapped a four-game losing streak with a dramatic double overtime victory over the Cavaliers, you would have been stunned at how similar he was. Calm. Cool. Composed. Chill.
The "poise" and maturity "beyond his years" that Stotts talks about during his pregame interviews aren't just cliches. In Lillard's case, they're spot-on descriptions about who he is. Even opposing coaches notice it from the opposite bench.
"I love him," said Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, a former NBA point guard. "I think he does everything good. And right. He plays with a great demeanor. That's what stands out more than his play, actually, his demeanor. He doesn't get too high, too low, doesn't show a lot of expression. He just plays the game the right way."
It's this unflappable demeanor that allowed Lillard to persevere through a recent four-game slump, during which he made just 16 of 59 shots and the Blazers lost four in a row. Time and time again during that slump, Lillard would say he was unfazed and unscared by the moment. He pledged to continue shooting, to adjust to defensive coverages and to do whatever was necessary to shake the Blazers from their losing ways. He never looked rattled.
"My mom always told me that negative stuff comes from letting your frustrations get the best of you," Lillard said. "So I try to avoid it. And even when I do get frustrated, I just try to do the best I can to just think about the next thing and move on. I never want people to see how I'm really feeling."
And what does a frustrated Lillard look like?
"Just like the happy Dame," Blazers assistant coach David Vanterpool said. "They look the same."
Lillard is only one month into his career. But if the first 16 games are any indication, he has a long, productive career ahead of him.
"He does everything well," Rivers said. "He is an impressive player. And to me, obviously, the physical part you see. But the mental part, to me, is what I see that goes far beyond his years. He's a special player."
http://media.oregonlive.com/blazers_impact/photo/11942331-large.jpg
Accomplishments of recent notable point guards in their first month.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- As the Trail Blazers travel from city to city on the NBA circuit, coach Terry Stotts begins his evening by meeting with a throng of reporters for a brief pregame question-and-answer session.
By now, after visits to 10 cities over the first 32 days of the season, Stotts has learned to expect the expected. Inevitably, at some point during the group interview, a local reporter will inquire about the player who has become one of the NBA's best early-season stories.
"Hey coach, what do you think about Damian Lillard?" one might ask.
"What makes Lillard so good?" another might inquire.
It's become so commonplace, Stotts has run out of fresh material, so he regularly regurgitates the same few phrases over and over. It's so predictable, occasionally Stotts will turn to The Oregonian's traveling Blazers beat reporter and ask if he wants to answer for him.
"Well," Stotts, or The Oregonian's reporter, will start, "Damian's poised. And he's mature beyond his years."
The NBA will release its monthly individual honors Monday and Lillard, the Blazers' electric, do-it-all rookie point guard, almost certainly will win the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award. After 16 games -- which factored into the league's decision -- Lillard led all rookies in scoring (18.4 points per game), assists (5.9), steals (1.38), field goals (102) and minutes played (36.8), while ranking 11th in rebounding (3.1) and fourth in free-throw shooting percentage (83.9).
His first month in the NBA was so dynamic, so polished, Lillard's lofty statistical accomplishments regularly drew comparisons to some of the best players in NBA history. Players like Oscar Robertson, Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson. It started on opening night, when Lillard had 23 points and 11 assists in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, becoming just the third player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and 10 assists in a debut. Robertson and Thomas are the others.
One accomplishment after another followed in the next 15 games. After three games, Lillard became just the second player, along with Robertson, to record at least 20 points and seven assists in every game. He's the second player in franchise history to score at least 20 points in his first three NBA games, joining Geoff Petrie. And Lillard became the first player since Allen Iverson in 1996 to register at least 295 points and 94 assists over his first 16 games.
He scored at least 20 points nine times in his first 16 games, more than any other point guard in the NBA this season. And while Stotts has run out of ways to explain how special his point guard is, other coaches around the NBA have little trouble doing so.
"A very good, solid point guard for a rookie," Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "You could see it at Weber State, you could see it at Summer League, that he was going to be good. Very mature. He is a true point guard. I do believe that. He really tries to get his teammates involved. But he's a guy who can score when he has to. I like him, I think he's a very good player."
Lillard's first 16 games stack up favorably against some of the NBA's best point guards, including several recent Rookie of the Year winners. His statistical line after 16 games (18.4 points, 5.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 1.38 steals) was eerily similar to that of Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose (18.4 points, 5.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 steals), who was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009 and NBA MVP in 2011.
Through 16 games, Lillard was averaging more points than Chris Paul (16.9), Deron Williams (14.0), Russell Westbrook (12.1), Brandon Roy (13.8) and Steve Francis (17.6) and more assists than Williams (4.8), Westbrook (3.8) and Roy (3.0). Lillard's 39 three-pointers were more than Allen Iverson (37), Francis (27) or Williams (24) had made through the first 16 games of their NBA careers.
Quite simply, Lillard had one of the best opening months for a rookie point guard in recent memory. Lillard has shown a smooth shooting stroke, a natural feel for the NBA game and an ability to carry a team with a calm precision, all while running the pick-and-roll with the steadiness of a seven-time All-Star.
But more than all of that, perhaps his best asset is his demeanor, which is unflappable and always composed. If you had talked to Lillard after the Blazers became the first team to lose to the Washington Wizards and after they snapped a four-game losing streak with a dramatic double overtime victory over the Cavaliers, you would have been stunned at how similar he was. Calm. Cool. Composed. Chill.
The "poise" and maturity "beyond his years" that Stotts talks about during his pregame interviews aren't just cliches. In Lillard's case, they're spot-on descriptions about who he is. Even opposing coaches notice it from the opposite bench.
"I love him," said Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, a former NBA point guard. "I think he does everything good. And right. He plays with a great demeanor. That's what stands out more than his play, actually, his demeanor. He doesn't get too high, too low, doesn't show a lot of expression. He just plays the game the right way."
It's this unflappable demeanor that allowed Lillard to persevere through a recent four-game slump, during which he made just 16 of 59 shots and the Blazers lost four in a row. Time and time again during that slump, Lillard would say he was unfazed and unscared by the moment. He pledged to continue shooting, to adjust to defensive coverages and to do whatever was necessary to shake the Blazers from their losing ways. He never looked rattled.
"My mom always told me that negative stuff comes from letting your frustrations get the best of you," Lillard said. "So I try to avoid it. And even when I do get frustrated, I just try to do the best I can to just think about the next thing and move on. I never want people to see how I'm really feeling."
And what does a frustrated Lillard look like?
"Just like the happy Dame," Blazers assistant coach David Vanterpool said. "They look the same."
Lillard is only one month into his career. But if the first 16 games are any indication, he has a long, productive career ahead of him.
"He does everything well," Rivers said. "He is an impressive player. And to me, obviously, the physical part you see. But the mental part, to me, is what I see that goes far beyond his years. He's a special player."