Since last year’s Bubble, there’s been a sea change among NBA fans and followers that finally seems to incorporate Damian Lillard consistently into conversations about the NBA’s best players, and after his latest performance, dropping 50 on the Pelicans on national television, Lillard took the time to break down just what makes him so great.
Asked by Shaquille O’Neal from the TNT studio what it takes to become such a great shooter and scorer, Lillard explained the mentality necessary when putting in hours of work as a young player.
“You get better from the reps,” Lillard said, “but more so than just physically, you get better mentally and more confident in it because you’ve done it when you’re tired, done it when you didn’t want to.”
“You have the ultimate confidence that it’s going in… You put the time in and you deserve to make those shots.” @Dame_Lillard discusses delivering in crunch time. pic.twitter.com/wH5bDxuEIh
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 17, 2021
Lillard went on to say even Steph Curry, who Lillard called the best shooter in the history of the game and whose brilliance from behind the arc seems so natural, would agree that it takes time and dedication.
It’s not enough for those guys to just put in work. They have to embrace the grind and repetitiveness of working on their shot until they have done it in every situation and circumstance and can repeat it in games. Whether there are three guys in their face, whether they’re toeing the line or on the logo, players like Lillard or Curry have mastered their craft through hard work.