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Lillard attacking rim less but scoring more

Blazers guard opens other parts of game after foot injury

The Columbian
Published: March 9, 2016, 8:19pm

TUALATIN, Ore. — The impact Damian Lillard makes each night for the Portland Trail Blazers has grown almost exponentially this season.

But a major reason for Lillard’s growth is something that hindered him earlier this season — his injured foot.

Lillard’s left foot has been a source of pain. Plantar fasciitis caused him to miss games for the first time in his career earlier this season.

But that injury has also been a lifeline. To preserve the health of his feet, Lillard has changed to way he attacks the rim.

And that has led to a big boost in his scoring. Lillard has 30 points or more in 10 out of his last 13 games. He has scored 51, 50 and 41 and his team currently sits in sixth place in the Western Conference.

Lillard averaging 33.5 points per game, trailing only Stephen Curry and James Harden.

This comes despite Lillard taking fewer shots at the rim. He has improved his floater and his mid-range shooting.

When he does drive to the hoop, heightened awareness of those feet have helped Lillard avoid high-impact falls after he attacks.

“Some of it is just being aware of falling on the ground too much,” Lillard said about the effort to avoid the falls that can wear a player of his athleticism and aggression down. “Maybe sometimes I get in there and I’m shooting floaters instead of going in for contact. And when I do get contact I’m getting into guys bodies. So if I do jump off balance and I hit him they kind of knock me back on balance.”

Just like everything with Lillard, it’s no accident.

He has worked on it with CJ McCollum and Blazers assistant coach David Vanterpool, who has forged a special bond with Lillard and McCollum.

“We’ve done drills when we go up and finish where (Vanterpool) hits us with a pad and we just have to stay on our feet,” Lillard said of his work with McCollum and Vanterpool. “Part of the drill is just staying on your feet. That’s been a focus that I’ve had this year.”

“It’s probably just figuring out what works,” head coach Terry Stotts said. “That was totally him.”

The percentage of Lillard’s shots that are coming at the rim is the lowest since his rookie year. Yet he’s more dominant than he’s ever been.

This season, 311 of Lillard’s 1,172 shots have come at the rim (26.5 percent). Last year, he took 31 percent of his shots at the rim.

However, he’s taking a greater portion of his shots from between three and 10 feet from the hoop. His percentage of shots made from that distance has improved to 32.8 percent, compared to 26.8 percent last season.

It’s a small difference, but it shows how Lillard is using his shooting ability to complement his crash-test work with Vanterpool.

That has led to a more productive Lillard who the Blazers hope will better handle the rigors of the NBA season.

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