When it comes to the point guard position, there aren’t many greater than Damian Lillard. As a 6x All-Star, 6x All-NBA player, and Rookie of The Year, he has accomplished a lot over his 9-year career.
But even Dame can’t fault anyone for putting him below Steph Curry. In a chat with Draymond Green, the Portland star admitted his respect for Curry and acknowledged that if there’s anyone he comes behind that the point guard position, it’s Steph.
“At my position, Steph is the one person that I can accept coming behind,” Lillard said Wednesday on the “Draymond Green Show.” “Steph came from a mid-major. Steph went through injuries. Steph’s teams struggled. Steph is a two-time MVP, three-time champion. I respect Steph. I take nothing away from Steph. I respect it 1000 percent.”
“But after that, I can’t take a back seat.”
Curry is easily the best shooter ever, and his tenure with the Warriors is unmatched compared to Dame. He’s got the chips, the MVPs, and a whole lot more to his claim as the top guard.
Both he, and Dame, are examples of peak marksmanship in the modern NBA and they’ve changed the game for everyone.
“The game has really changed, starting with guys like Steph and myself,” Steph said to AP reporter Janie McCauley. “The 3-pointers of the history of the game when we talk about the Larry Birds, Mark Prices, and Reggie Miller, you look at the numbers and they were three 3-pointers attempted per game, two and a half 3s attempted per game. When you look at ours not only nine, ten, eleven, 3s per game, but just shooting it from so much deeper off the bounce and transition. You know, just so many different ways that we’re doing it. The game has come a long way as far as shooting.”
For now, Lillard still has a lot to prove. After another wasted year in Portland, he and his team will have their work cut out for them if they want to make some noise in the West.
But with the right pieces in place, Dame could pull off something special and give Steph’s title as the best point guard in the world a run for its money.
We’ll see soon enough what the future has in store.
