Damian Lillard may be one of the best players in the league, but he regularly has to deal with a big lack of respect for his level of play. The recent declaration of a journalist about him has also made the community roar. NBA… And Kyrie Irving got involved in that, despite himself.
In ten seasons that he is already a member of the big league, Damian Lillard has quite a CV to show off. If he only has the Rookie of the Year in his trophy cabinet, the Blazers point guard has established himself as one of the best on the circuit in his position. Over 24 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists on average, all while shooting 37% from behind the arc, is impressive, and the numbers could have been much stronger without his shortened 2021-22 year.
Unfortunately, the fact that Portland never goes far in the playoffs means that many observers tend to devalue it, especially by comparing it to other superstars. Taylor Rooks Bleacher Report illustrated it perfectly recently, during an interview with Jayson Tatum. The two tackled the case of n°0 together, as well as that of Kyrie Irving. If the journalist declared that she considered the Nets guard a superstar, this is apparently not the case of his peer in Rip City!
Damian Lillard not a superstar according to Taylor Rooks
This is such a ridiculous take pic.twitter.com/m1gb0Eqjqe
— kevin 🌊 (@KY_PDX) August 21, 2022
I think Damian has all the qualities of a superstar. But it’s hard to think of him as such right now… He’s got that in him… but he has to win, to be seen as a superstar. For me, it’s a bit like that.
The stunned face of the Celtics franchise player says a lot about what he thinks of this hot take, and we can clearly understand it. Admittedly, he has earned absolutely nothing collectively, but whether through his performance or his salary, he who will receive more than 60 (!) million dollars per year in the future, Dame has everything from a superstar, everything as much as Uncle Drew at least. It didn’t take long for fans to roar in anger at this blasphemy, setting fire to Rooks without holding back:
Horrible take. If Kyrie is a superstar so is dame, if Dame isn’t a superstar neither is Kyrie. Dame is more so a superstar than a Kyrie
— Thefakephilosopher (@_accrual_world) August 21, 2022
It’s horrible as an opinion. If Kyrie is a superstar then Dame is too, if Dame isn’t then neither is Kyrie. Dame has so much more of a superstar profile than Kyrie
Saying neither is a super star is a fine take but saying Kyrie is one but Dame isn’t is just dumb
— kevin 🌊 (@KY_PDX) August 21, 2022
To say that none of them are superstars is still okay, but to say that Kyrie is one when Dame is not is just bullshit
Damian Lillard has been used to being underrated since the start of his career, but Taylor Rooks’ outing about the Portland boss borders on the ridiculous. Especially when compared to Kyrie Irving, who isn’t coming off a stellar season either. The only difference ? The title acquired in 2016 with LeBron James.