{"id":123883,"date":"2025-02-15T15:53:53","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T20:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=123883"},"modified":"2025-02-15T15:53:53","modified_gmt":"2025-02-15T20:53:53","slug":"damian-lillard-will-enhance-his-three-point-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/15\/damian-lillard-will-enhance-his-three-point-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Damian Lillard Will Enhance His Three-Point Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Twenty-five years ago, the NBA All-Star Game<\/a> took place in the Bay Area. Nine-year-old Damian Lillard<\/a> was there, already perfecting his three-point shooting. His father allowed him to skip school for the week to attend All-Star festivities, where he and his brother reached the championship round of a local 3-point competition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Damian Lillard Will Enhance His Three-Point Legacy This Weekend<\/h2>\n

Now, Lillard returns to the Bay Area as a nine-time All-Star for the Milwaukee Bucks<\/a>. He has a chance to win his third consecutive NBA 3-point contest, a feat only achieved by Larry Bird<\/a> and Craig Hodges<\/a>. For Lillard, this weekend represents more than another trophy\u2014it\u2019s a homecoming and an opportunity to cement his status as one of the greatest deep-range shooters in history.<\/p>\n

Lillard vs. Curry: The Long-Range Debate<\/h3>\n

Stephen Curry<\/a> dominates discussions about 3-point shooting. His postseason success and record-breaking volume make him the face of the NBA\u2019s 3-point revolution. But Lillard has quietly built an argument as the league\u2019s most effective deep-range shooter.<\/p>\n

Over the past 10 seasons, Lillard leads<\/a> all players in 3-point percentage from beyond 30 feet, hitting 31.9% of his attempts. In comparison, Curry has connected on 27.1% of his shots from the same range. Lillard has also made 240 such shots in this span, outpacing Curry\u2019s 179.<\/p>\n

Trae Young<\/a> has taken the most 30-foot attempts over the past decade, but his accuracy (30.6%) is lower than Lillard\u2019s. Despite this statistical advantage, Lillard\u2019s deep-range shooting remains overshadowed by Curry\u2019s legacy. This weekend\u2019s 3-point contest provides a prime opportunity to reinforce his reputation.<\/p>\n

Lillard\u2019s Deep Shooting Is Crucial To The Bucks Strategy<\/h3>\n

Recently against the Philadelphia 76ers<\/a>, he scored<\/a> a season-high 43 points with eight 3-pointers. Without Giannis Antetokounmpo,<\/a> he delivered a dominant performance reminiscent of his Portland days.<\/p>\n

The Bucks will rely on Lillard\u2019s shooting to space the floor in the playoffs. His ability to hit deep shots forces defenders to extend beyond the arc, creating driving lanes for teammates. If Milwaukee hopes to replicate its 2021 championship success, Lillard\u2019s shooting will be crucial<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Signature Three-point Shots That Define Damian Lillard\u2019s Legacy<\/h3>\n

Lillard\u2019s career features two legendary playoff buzzer-beaters\u2014his 2014 dagger against the Houston Rockets<\/a> and his 37-footer against the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> in 2019. The latter, a series-clinching shot over Paul George<\/a>, showcased Lillard\u2019s confidence from extreme distances.<\/p>\n

His unique shooting form contributes to his deep-range accuracy. Unlike most shooters, he places the ball entirely on his palm before flicking it with his fingers. As a child, his father criticized his \u201cknuckleball\u201d shot, urging him to shoot off his fingertips. Lillard<\/a> adjusted his form, finding a balance between palm control and fingertip release.<\/p>\n

This shooting motion has remained consistent throughout his career. Data from Second Spectrum shows that Lillard\u2019s release time on 3-pointers has held steady at 0.37 to 0.38<\/a> seconds over the past five seasons. That consistency gives him an advantage in the 3-point contest, where rhythm and repetition are key to success.<\/p>\n

A Potential Three-Peat in the Bay Area<\/h3>\n

Lillard\u2019s return to the Bay Area for the All-Star weekend is symbolic. He grew up in Oakland, surrounded by the same community that watched him develop into an NBA superstar. Winning a third straight 3-point contest in front of his hometown crowd would be a fitting tribute to Damian Lillard’s journey.<\/p>\n

His shooting prowess has evolved over decades, from playgrounds in Oakland to NBA arenas. If he secures another 3-point contest victory, it will serve as another reminder that \u201cLogo Lillard\u201d is more than a nickname\u2014it\u2019s a legacy.<\/p>\n

Twenty-five years ago, the NBA All-Star Game took place in the Bay Area. Nine-year-old Damian Lillard was there, already perfecting his three-point shooting. His father allowed him to skip school for the week to attend All-Star festivities, where he and his brother reached the championship round of a local 3-point competition. Damian Lillard Will Enhance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":123929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,15],"tags":[49723,49977,4599,455,636,3009,1349],"class_list":["post-123883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-bucks","tag-bay-area","tag-craig-hodges","tag-damian-lilliard","tag-larry-bird","tag-nba-all-star-weekend","tag-three-point-shooting","tag-trae-young"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123883"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":123930,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123883\/revisions\/123930"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}