Lillard says NBA now a PG’s league

Damian Lillard in Manila. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

PORTLAND Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard believes the NBA has evolved into a point guard’s game with the emergence of playmakers who have stood at the forefront of their team’s campaigns in the playoffs.

Now more than ever, the game demands so much from point guards to execute plays, make decisions and dictate the pace of the game, Lillard said, pointing out that the teams that have gone far in this year’s playoffs all boast a quality playmaker.

“Of course, the bigs still have a use on the court, but its a guard’s game now when you look at all the pick and rolls and the transition game,” said Lillard at a press conference Tuesday at Kerry Sports Manila at Shangri-La at The Fort. “It’s a huge challenge for us, because the point guards just do so much on the court nowadays.”

Lillard, who is in the fourth and last leg of his Take on Summer Asian tour sponsored by footwear giant Adidas, led the Blazers to the second round of the playoffs where they lost to the Golden State Warriors in five games.

The run to the playoffs actually came as a surprise since the Blazers lost almost their entire starting unit except Lillard to free agency and trades.

“We were in a situation where a lot of people counted us out and we took it as a challenge,” said Lillard, who is coming off his best season yet averaging 25.1 points. “We felt we could’ve won the Golden State
series. But we have to get better and maybe add a few players.”
One player on Lillard’s wish list is Oklahoma forward Kevin Durant who becomes a free agent next month.

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