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Lillard vs. Burke

Doublea

Doublea

Well-Known Member
---------------------Damian Lillard---Trey Burke

Height w/o Shoes---6' 1.75"------5' 11.75"
Height w/shoes-----6' 2.75"------6' 1.25"
Weight--------------189-----------187
Wingspan-----------6' 7.75"------6' 5.5"
Standing Reach----7' 11.5"------8' 1.5"
Body Fat------------5.9----------6.9
No Step Vert-------34.5---------29.5
Max Vert-----------39.5---------36.5
Bench Press--------13-----------3
Lane Agility--------11.15--------11.20
3/4 Court Sprint---3.34---------3.16
Pre-draft.


I thought it would be fun to compare the Rookie of the Year with our very own pg in the running for the same reward. Now as you can see they are very similar in there measurements. Lillard just has 1.50" on Burke and 2.25" on his wingspan. Though somehow Burke has 2" on his standing reach. After watching Lillard this year, he has become one of my favorite new guys on the scene. I'm just trying to figure out what the key differences are between the two. What each are elite in.

Now I feel like Burke is in a similar position as Lillard was last year. Both were the first pg chosen. Our team also has a great starting line-up, but not too impressive bench, just like the Trailblazers last year. Burke's teammates will make him better, and he should make them better as well.

So what do you think? Is Burke the nest Lillard? How similar are they, and where do they differ? Will Burke walk away with a season like Lillard?
 
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To me what stood out for Lillard during college was his upper body strength. He was able to his deep deep 3's in college which gave me confidence that he could thrive in the NBA (no matter what people say, it's still a shooters' league).

Sure enough Lillard had no problem adjusting to the NBA game hitting 3's, making defenders respect his shot, was able to get into the paint to finish and/or create for others. The ability to score from just about anywhere on the court is a real asset in the NBA. Add to that his willingness to pass the ball (something Burke only learnt recently from Stockton), it was a lethal combination for the modern day PG.

=========================

I haven't seen Burke hit those deep deep 3's consistently in college. I'm still apprehensive about his 3pt shooting adjustment. For sure Burke has a better assist game coming into the NBA, but it's the 3pt shooting that will make or break his ROY aspirations.
 
Doublea said:
So what do you think? Is Burke the nest Lillard? How similar are they, and where do they differ? Will Burke walk away with a season like Lillard?
Click to expand...

no

burke eventually will become a descent player, but his first season will be ugly
 
Yes they are similar in size and reach blah blah blah.

What seperates them is in game speed and athleticism
 
Hindsight bias. Rewind a year and try talking about Lillard like this.
 
infection said:
Hindsight bias. Rewind a year and try talking about Lillard like this.
Click to expand...

Ok
I just rewound my thinking by a year and lillard is still quicker and more athletic
 
Hotttnickkk said:
Add to that his willingness to pass the ball (something Burke only learnt recently from Stockton)
Click to expand...

Not sure about this at all...
Trey Burke: 6.7 assists/gm in his sophomore year
Damion Lilliard: 4 assists/gm in his senior year (and this was the most he ever got)
Steve Nash: 3.7 assists/gm in his sophomore year (6.4 and 6.0 in his junior and senior years respectively)
Deron Williams: 6.8 assists/gm in his junior year (4.5 and 6.2 before this)
Chris Paul: 6.6 assists/gm in his sophomore year
John Stockton: 5 assist/gm in his sophomore year (6.8 and 7.2 following)

If you project Burke based on his college assist numbers, he looks to be in very good company. Considering he had nearly two assists/gm more than Stockton did at that point, I think we should take his ability to distribute the ball very seriously. Lillard probably didn't have the same talent around him, but he definitely was not better at distributing the ball.

We'll see what all this means.
 
Doublea said:
Lillard just has 1.50" on Burke and 2.25" on his wingspan. Though somehow Burke has 2" on his standing reach.
Click to expand...

Is this even possible? Shorter with shorter wingspan but better standing reach? Seems like something is messed up here.
 
I just rewound my thinking by a year and lillard is still quicker and more athletic
Click to expand...

---------------------Damian Lillard---Trey Burke

Height w/o Shoes---6' 1.75"------5' 11.75"
Height w/shoes-----6' 2.75"------6' 1.25"
Weight--------------189-----------187
Wingspan-----------6' 7.75"------6' 5.5"
Standing Reach----7' 11.5"------8' 1.5"
Body Fat------------5.9----------6.9
No Step Vert-------34.5---------29.5
Max Vert-----------39.5---------36.5
Bench Press--------13-----------3
Lane Agility--------11.15--------11.20
3/4 Court Sprint---3.34---------3.16
Click to expand...

Isn't less better? Burke is more athletic with regards to speed. Less with regards to jumping. The lane agility is almost a wash, but you can go quite a ways in .18 of a second. And remember, Lillard was a senior, Burke a sophomore.
 
JohnnyClutch said:
Isn't less better? Burke is more athletic with regards to speed. Less with regards to jumping. The lane agility is almost a wash, but you can go quite a ways in .18 of a second. And remember, Lillard was a senior, Burke a sophomore.
Click to expand...

Remember these are drills (in regards to the speed and jumping stuff)

When I watch them play, lillard looks much quicker and looks to be much more explosive
 
Although I'm incredibly stoked for what Burke can do for the Jazz, I don't think he's going to be the runaway favorite for rookie of the year, not even close. Burke may end up winning ROY but it won't be easy, biggest difference is easily the athleticism. That being said, I couldnt be happier with who we drafted this season
 
JJAS said:
Not sure about this at all...
Trey Burke: 6.7 assists/gm in his sophomore year
Damion Lilliard: 4 assists/gm in his senior year (and this was the most he ever got)
Steve Nash: 3.7 assists/gm in his sophomore year (6.4 and 6.0 in his junior and senior years respectively)
Deron Williams: 6.8 assists/gm in his junior year (4.5 and 6.2 before this)
Chris Paul: 6.6 assists/gm in his sophomore year
John Stockton: 5 assist/gm in his sophomore year (6.8 and 7.2 following)

If you project Burke based on his college assist numbers, he looks to be in very good company. Considering he had nearly two assists/gm more than Stockton did at that point, I think we should take his ability to distribute the ball very seriously. Lillard probably didn't have the same talent around him, but he definitely was not better at distributing the ball.

We'll see what all this means.
Click to expand...

You also need to consider who was on the team with these guys. It is easy to get a lot of assists when you have say an overpowering big or a lights out shooter. Who was on lilliard's team in college?
 
Karadrys30 said:
You also need to consider who was on the team with these guys. It is easy to get a lot of assists when you have say an overpowering big or a lights out shooter. Who was on lilliard's team in college?
Click to expand...

Scrubs.
But he was playing against scrubs too (weak conference)
 
Measurements have something to do with a players ceiling, but they don't have nearly as much to do with their overall game except in extreme situations. Simply put, Burke measures about where point guards did ten years ago. Now he's a bit short, but not enough to ruin his potential. From this point forward it's all about how his game develops and translates to the NBA. I have no idea what the answer is to this question, supposedly he's a good leader, supposedly he's about 50/50 pass/shoot which is good for a team where three of the starting five including him can run the offence. I am definitely interested in watching him play mostly because I don't know how it'll turn out.
 
As Nick said, the key difference is upper body strength and standing vertical. Lillard will always be able to finish at the rim easier than Burke because of it. Having said that, I don't think its fair to compare them for 2 years - Lillard came out as a senior, Burke a sophomore.
 
Burke's work ethic will make him a star. Just look at how much he improved in his two years @ Michigan.
 
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