Damian Lillard also wants his respect when it comes to the best shooters the game has seen. The Portland Trail Blazers star hasn’t had the easiest couple of seasons, as he’s dealt with injuries, but his level has remained the same.
This season, the Blazers are trying to compete in the stacked Western Conference and make a deep playoff run as they did in 2019. Dame will be crucial to that, as well as teammates Anfernee Simmons and Jerami Grant, who have stepped up when he’s been unavailable.
Meanwhile, Dame keeps making records and achieving milestones, which places him in a privileged position among active players. In recent hours, he surpassed 18,000 points as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Houston Rockets 107-95 at Toyota Center.
Damian Lillard Claims The Only Better Shooter Than Him Is Stephen Curry
Dame also moved to 8th all-time in career 3s made, which is also a huge accomplishment for him. Even though he’s shown his range for a while now and has made clutch shots from long distance, it’s rare to see people calling him an all-time great shooter.
Congrats to @Dame_Lillard of the @trailblazers for moving to 8th all-time in career 3s made! pic.twitter.com/SyqqID0agI
— NBA (@NBA) December 18, 2022
Following the game against the Rockets, Dame made the case for himself as the second-best shooter of all time, only behind Stephen Curry.
“I always see stuff on social media where they talk about the greatest shooters of all-time and they always act like it’s just crazy for people to mention me,” said Lillard, via Casey Holdahl. “I think for how many threes I’ve made, for how consistent I make them, the level of difficulty that I shoot threes with over years and years and years, I just think it’s kind of crazy people don’t mention me in those discussions.
“Obviously I think Steph is the greatest ever, but I think after him, I don’t see why I’m not clear-cut in that discussion, not just by makes, but how I shoot it, how I make tough ones all the time, how easy I shoot the ball. I’m looking forward to keep climbing that list so once I get up there in that top two, top three, I’m curious to see what people will say about me as a shooter at that point.”
This discussion is a big one. Obviously, nobody can touch Steph in this regard, but for many people, either Ray Allen or Klay Thompson ranks behind Curry. Well, James Harden has also made a case for himself as an all-time great shooter, and now Lillard joins that list.
The Blazers star has shown his clutch genes over and over again, including a huge 3 over Paul George to end an era for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Perhaps the fact that he has more to his game than just shooting the ball doesn’t make people consider him very seriously for that honor, but skill-wise, Dame is just there. And now, the numbers are backing his case.
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