Damian Lillard is one of the best point guards of his generation.
Lillard, a six-time All-Star, was recently named to the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team. He's tied with LeBron James for the seventh-most games with at least 50 points in league history with 12. Despite never advancing past the Western Conference finals during his 10-year stint with the Portland Trail Blazers, he’s knocked down some of the most clutch shots in recent playoff history.
So, when it comes to lists similar to the NBA's top 75 players, there aren’t too many guards better than Dame.
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There’s one player, however, who Lillard doesn’t mind being ranked ahead of him.
"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.”
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There are a few similarities between the careers of Curry and Lillard. Curry was selected No. 7 overall out of Davidson after leading the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA tournament. Lillard spent four years at Weber State and helped those Wildcats to a pair of appearances in the big dance. Both players have spent their entire careers with the team that drafted them, changing the outlook of the franchises entirely in that span.
As the cliché goes, game respects game. And Dame respects the best 3-point shooter in history.