Lillard says his body isn't breaking down.

[Hey Yo]

It seemed to the eye test like Damian Lillard lost half-a-step last season, something most evident statistically with his 3-point shooting percentage dropping to 35.4% and his true shooting percentage to .590. There were other reasons for the numbers to drop, too: Adjusting to having to play next to Giannis Antetokounmpo; having mostly played through calf, ankle, groin and Achilles soreness; and on a personal note he was going through a divorce while having to move to a new city.

Just don’t tell Lillard, age 34, that his body is starting to let him down.

“I’m not a player that’s breaking down. I live a clean, good, healthy life, so I can do it. I can do the same (expletive) I did two, three years ago. I can do it right now...

“I think when the trade happened everybody was like, ‘Well, Milwaukee’s gonna win it,’ and I think when it didn’t always look the way they wanted it to look or thought it was gonna look, and I wasn’t looking how I looked in Portland, it was like, oh, what’s going on with Dame? Why is Dame not doing this? But when for a greater part of the season I was still averaging about 26 points. Like, if you really think about that – what standard do y’all hold me to if I’m scoring 26 points and averaging seven assists and I’m not feeling great? I’m going through a lot of stuff. That’s just the truth.”

https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/damian-lillard-im-not-a-player-thats-breaking-down

[Real Men Wear Green]

If they can stay healthy they're the top threat to the Celtics. The divorce may be a self-inflicted wound but I certainly dint know what was going on in his private life.

[dankok8]

I'm more worried about Giannis' body breaking down to be honest. He hasn't been healthy the last two postseasons.

[ILLsmak]

I was surprised when they didn't do better, but maybe it was injures. He doesn't need to have a step, he needs to be able to make jumpers. Get a pick from Giannis, pressure the D, and shoot if he has to. Giannis seemed to benefit, but he didn't make the shots he shoulda made.

If dude is shooting 60% and getting 30 ppg, all Lillard needs to do is keep the D honest and make some clutch shots.

-Smak

[tontoz]

If he isn't feeling his age now, he will soon.

[90sgoat]

Lillard being 34 makes me realize how fast I'm getting old lol.

[Im Still Ballin]

His shooting will ease his decline but he'll physically decay like the rest of them. It also doesn't help that he's 6'3". Durant and LeBron have size on their side.

[ImKobe]

Curry's still doing his thing at 36 so why can't Dame still be Dame at 34? I'd be worried if he had a knee or achilles injury (a ruptured/torn achilles not the light one he had last season) but he's been healthy for most of his career and had his peak scoring season just a year ago, albeit on a bad team.

[Wardell Curry]

1) He was never as good as a lot of people thought because his defense sucks and always has
2) He's in the Carmelo Anthony "who, me?" denial stage as father time is starting to win
3) lol

[Real Men Wear Green]

How good Milwaukee is doesn't depend on his ranking. Giannis and Embiid are in theory the two players in the East that could give the Celtics the most trouble. If Antetokuonmpo can keep a game close Lillaird in the clutch should give them the best chance assuming Embiid still doesn't think posting up is important.

[tontoz]

Curry's still doing his thing at 36 so why can't Dame still be Dame at 34? I'd be worried if he had a knee or achilles injury (a ruptured/torn achilles not the light one he had last season) but he's been healthy for most of his career and had his peak scoring season just a year ago, albeit on a bad team.


Curry is well known for his intense off-season conditioning. I doubt Lillard is on the same level.

Curry is also a better player, so he can still be effective if his game falls off. Lillard has less margin for error. He takes a lot of tough shots off the dribble which would be bad shots for most guys.

[ImKobe]

Curry is well known for his intense off-season conditioning. I doubt Lillard is on the same level.

Curry is also a better player, so he can still be effective if his game falls off. Lillard has less margin for error. He takes a lot of tough shots off the dribble which would be bad shots for most guys.

I think he's conditioned pretty well, considering he only missed 38 games his first 9 years and that he's only had 1 season where he missed significant time. Last year he posted a career-high inside 3 ft.

Dame's known for his crazy conditioning workouts so I don't think that will be the problem. Giannis takes the ball out of his hands so I think that's where the misses come in. It's an adjustment.

Dame struggled on catch & shoot 3s (28% at 2.8 3PA) last year when he was an efficient catch & shoot player in Portland. That's where the dip in his overall 3PT% comes in.

His shot inside 3-10 ft was also terrible (30%) after posting a career-high 45% in Portland the year before, and he increased his volume on those shots. His finishing inside was the best it's ever been.


I think he'll be fine, barring injuries.

[hold this L]

Curry's still doing his thing at 36 so why can't Dame still be Dame at 34? I'd be worried if he had a knee or achilles injury (a ruptured/torn achilles not the light one he had last season) but he's been healthy for most of his career and had his peak scoring season just a year ago, albeit on a bad team.

Curry slowed down last season, his impact fell at 36. Also I wouldn't look at KD, Steph and especially Lebron as players that if they do it, so can others. Players break down in their mid 30s.

[Stephonit]

I hate to admit it but Curry was noticeably less impactful last season. I hope what happened the last two games of the Olympics show it isn't so but the concern is there.

If Curry still finds a way to win a ring with the current team he is projected to play with this upcoming season, it will be one of the least likely championships ever and greatest ever fodder.

[ImKobe]

Curry slowed down last season, his impact fell at 36. Also I wouldn't look at KD, Steph and especially Lebron as players that if they do it, so can others. Players break down in their mid 30s.

He did slow down post-ASB but the first 50 games he was still putting up prime Steph numbers. Team was just ass around him and all these games went down the wire because they couldn't hold onto leads and it took a toll on him both physically & emotionally. He was damn near crying at the end of all these close games that they kept losing because they couldn't get any stops.

[hold this L]

He did slow down post-ASB but the first 50 games he was still putting up prime Steph numbers. Team was just ass around him and all these games went down the wire because they couldn't hold onto leads and it took a toll on him both physically & emotionally. He was damn near crying at the end of all these close games that they kept losing because they couldn't get any stops.

He was putting good numbers but his impact was lesser. He was flat out lazy defensively. It's fine if you're lazy when you're a peak physical specimen, but someone with mediocre athleticism like Steph at low effort means awful defense. Not Klay/CP3 awful, but he was very poor. His offense was also not as impactful on the court (eye test and stats back this). Basic box scores didn't show the other level of effect he generally displays.

[Jasper]

His shooting will ease his decline but he'll physically decay like the rest of them. It also doesn't help that he's 6'3". Durant and LeBron have size on their side.

bigs fall quicker ... Lillard has at least 2-3 great years left...

Durant is lite for his height so he will be around a couple more.
Bon is on Drugs(.)