Gary Payton says Damian Lillard must get better on defense

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard has become one of the fastest rising stars in the NBA. Lillard along with LaMarcus Aldridge have transformed the Blazers into a threat in the Western Conference.

Even though Lillard has shown that he is one of the better players in the league, former NBA All-Star, Hall of Famer and fellow Oakland native Gary Payton says that Lillard must become a better defender to make his team better and become an elite player.

“He can be like Patrick Beverley [of the Houston Rockets] if he wants to, but that’s a mindset,” Payton told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com Thursday night at American AirlinesArena. “I think Damian has to be willing and ready to play that type of way. Right now, he’s scoring so easily and he’s so good at the offensive end, he doesn’t have to think about defense. He doesn’t have to think about it because he knows he can outscore somebody.

“He can have 35 [points] when he wants to and that’s where the game is going right now. But we have to get that out his mindset. If he wants to be a two-way guard and have his name in a legacy for being that way, he has to step it up on the defensive end.”

Payton and Lillard were supposed to workout together last summer but their scheduled didn't vibe. Payton in dogging Lillard, he just wants to see him be one of the best and perhaps get his team to a championship level. Payton feels that being an elite level defender is a state of mind more than scheduling workouts.

“It’s all about your mentality. You can’t teach nobody nothing about good defense,” Payton says. “All you can do is if you have good hands, good feet and you get the mindset that you’re going to sit down and lock somebody up. You have to want to learn how to do it and watch yourself do it. That’s when you become good. I can’t go out there and say, ‘Okay, move your feet, do this, move this, move your hands right there.’ No, you have to have instincts with the game. It’s a mentality. Defense just isn’t a part of our game nowadays.”

“Just like John Stockton, he was a two-way guard. He played defense and he played offense and he went into the Hall of Fame averaging 12 points and 12 assists. So that’s just the way people have to do it in my opinion. That’s the way I came up playing against basketball players like that."

If Lillard is going to get tips from anyone defensively why not from one of the better defenders that played the game. Payton has thrown down a challenge to Lillard but not in a negative way. Payton knows there are more ways to impact a game.

“I think Damian has the potential to be a dominant defender and I think he wants that because he’s a smart basketball player and he wants to get better every year,” he said. “I think he’s going to go in and see the way he’s not stopping guards that he should be stopping. There’s no way that you can stop guards in the NBA right now anyways with the rules. All you can do is contain them and if you can contain them, you’ll disrupt their rhythm. I’m hopeful he’ll get it.” 

Lillard isn't terrible but the series against the San Antonio Spurs showed that he needs to be able to contain players like Tony Parker in order to become a championship team instead of facing first or second round playoff exits.

    

Can C.J. McCollum be another Damian Lillard?

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard had a fantastic rookie season. The 6-3 Weber State product had questions about whether he could play against elite level competition, but he put those to rest by having the best season of the 2012 draftees and more than likely winning the NBA rookie of the year.

Another small school guard, Lehigh's C.J. McCollum will face some of the same questions as he gets ready for the 2013 NBA Draft. Can he play point guard after being a dynamic scorer in college. Can he produce consistently against players on a higher level. More importantly, will he be fully recovered from a broken foot that sidelined him for most of his senior season. McCollum says he's ready to go and that he's 100 percent.

In my opinion he can play against elite level competition. Look what he did to Duke in the 2012 NCAA tournament. My question is, can he become another Damian Lillard?

Many thought that Lillard wouldn't be able to make the transition to the NBA game. He seemingly looked for his shot first and couldn't make his teammates better. Furthermore he played in the Big Sky conference. Not a conference known for churning out first round NBA draft picks. He wasn't a true point abut he didn't have the size for a shooting guard.

When you look at McCollum's size he almost mirrors Lillard. Lillard is listed at 6-3, 190 pounds. McCollum is listed at 6-3 and 200 pounds. He isn't known to be a "facilitator"  and scouts say he has work to do to become a true point guard. He played in the Patriot League and he was also hurt for most of his senior year.

I don't think you try to remake his game. You look at what Lillard has done as a pro and ask yourself can McCollum become the same type of player. I do think McCollum can be a solid pro if put in the right situation. Lillard came into Portland not to be a savior, but as a functional part of a team. The Blazers already had LaMarcus Aldridge so they had someone to build around.

For a team looking for a guard to plug and play right away, McCollum could be your man. Especially if that team isn't a perennial cellar dweller. He could fit in best with a team like Dallas, Chicago or the Los Angeles Clippers. But if a team wants him to be the man and not a contributor it might not work out too well.