Damian Lillard - Superb Separation (Stepback)

Damian Lillard is one of the league’s most dangerous players. His confidence, leadership, unbelievable work ethic, and ability, make him the perfect leader for the now-very young Portland Trailblazers. The job Terry Stotts has done should not be overlooked (and based on him finishing second in Coach of the Year voting, he wasn’t), but Dame has inspired his teammates. He finished out 6th in the league in scoring (25.1 ppg), 8th in the league in assists (6.8 apg), ahead of guys like Steph Curry and LeBron James, and in the top 20 in PER (player efficiency rating). Did you know the Portland Trailblazers have the lowest payroll (according to HoopsHype) in the league? That’s crazy to think about now because they almost secured home court advantage in the first round (meaning that they finished in the top 4 of the conference). Yes, Stotts has been exemplary, and yes, CJ McCollum is officially the NBA’s Most Improved Player, but the Blazers only have one heart, one star: Damian Lillard. The Weber State wonder has a myriad of moves, but the one that seems to stand out in most people’s minds is his step-back. There’s no way I could really narrow down just his step-backs, because he’s SO crafty, that he strings together moves that allow him to maximize space. He just needs a sliver of daylight to get that silky smooth jumper off, so it’s fun to watch him create separation. For the most part, these are step-backs, but some of them are jab dribbles, and pullback dribbles, or even just stunts or look-offs to get his defender leaning. Dame is too dynamic to completely box him in, just ask most defenders in the league, so we’ll just have to make due with what I could cobble together. ENJOY!