Just as Cleveland Cavaliers point man Kyrie Irving did last season, Portland Trail Blazers rookie Damian Lillard is taking the NBA by storm. The team may only be 6-6, but Lillard has electrified the offense with his great court vision and is making a strong case for NBA Rookie of the Year, like Irving did in 2011-12.
Lillard is averaging 20.2 points, six assists and 1.3 steals per contest over his first 12 games. He has been accurate with his shots, shooting 47 percent from the field and 40 percent from long range. He was an effective scoring point guard at Weber State and has not changed his approach to the game on the professional level.
Lillard's game is actually very similar to that of the aforementioned Irving, who was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011 despite playing just 11 games at Duke. In his rookie season, Irving averaged 18.5 points and 5.4 assists per contest. He shot 47 percent from the field and 40 percent from long range, just how Lillard has up to this point in his rookie campaign.
Irving's efforts won him the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and Lillard is the clear favorite right now. He has been ef ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Josh Benjamin
Blazers’ Damian Lillard’s Efficiency Paves Way for Kyrie Irving-Like Rookie Year
November 24th, 2012 by Josh Benjamin Leave a reply »
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