Three-point shooting has become one of the biggest pillars of modern basketball. Today's NBA is perimeter-oriented, with players like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson being guarded from all over the court.
That's why players nowadays work tirelelessly in their shooting skills. Just a handful of players like Jimmy Butler or DeMar DeRozan have been able to be dominant scorers in today's NBA without being solid three-point shooters.
Fortunately for the Portland Trail Blazers, they're more than covered in that regard. They have the second-greatest three-point shooter to ever lace them up, at least, according to Damian Lillard.
NBA News: Damian Lillard Says Only Stephen Curry Is A Better Shooter Than Him
“I always see stuff on social media where they talk about the greatest shooters of all-time and they always act like it’s just crazy for people to mention me,” Lillard told NBA.com. “I think for how many threes I’ve made, for how consistent I make them, the level of difficulty that I shoot threes with over years and years and years, I just think it’s kind of crazy people don’t mention me in those discussions."
“Obviously I think Steph is the greatest ever, but I think after him, I don’t see why I’m not clear-cut in that discussion, not just by makes, but how I shoot it, how I make tough ones all the time, how easy I shoot the ball. I’m looking forward to keep climbing that list so once I get up there in that top two, top three, I’m curious to see what people will say about me as a shooter at that point," the point guard concluded.
That's most definitely a bold take, considering there's also Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, Peja Stojakovic, and even Klay Thompson. But Lillard has definitely worked his way up that ladder, so maybe, time will tell.
