Perhaps even more impressive than Damian Lillard leading the nation in scoring at 26.9 PPG, is the fact that he leads the country in ORtg at 131.3. ORtg, or Offensive Rating is a stat from stats guru Ken Pomeroy and Dean Oliver. From KenPom:
Offensive rating (ORtg): A measure of personal offensive efficiency developed by Dean Oliver. The formula is very complicated, but accurate. For a detailed explanation, buy Basketball on Paper.There are many ways to show how good Lillard has been this year, and this is one of them. Lillard has been efficient in every sense of the word on the offensive side of the ball, as he is shooting the ball very well, getting his teammates good shots, and getting to the foul line.
His true shooting percentage is 67.7%, good for 38th in the country. This is because he has made 55% of his twos and 45$ of his threes. He has also already taken more three-pointers than he did all of last season, so his percentage is not a sample size issue. If he continues at this rate, it is fair to say he is the most dangerous offensive player in the country, as an inconsistent outside shot was his biggest offensive question mark.
He has a great assist: turnover ratio. His ARate of 27.7% is very good; when contrasted with a turnover rate of 11.1%, it looks even better. Simply put, he gets guys involved and takes good care of the basketball. Both numbers are better than he put up last year, further showing his improvement.
His athleticism is shown by drawing fouls and getting to the line. He is 24th in the country at drawing fouls, and he is a great foul shooter (88%) when he does get to the line. He is a complete offensive player.
Anybody that has not seen Damian Lillard play yet needs to do so. He is the total package and will be a future pro. He has the athleticism to match any guard in the country, he is quietly developing a very dangerous outside shot, he takes care of the ball, and is good at getting teammates involved. Damian Lillard is the total package.
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Dame is the man! The time he missed due to his injury has actually made him a better player. He took the time to getter stronger and smarter and it shows.
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