By Antonis Stroggylakis / AStroggylakis@eurohoops.net
Add new Olympic champion Damian Lillard to those who agree with Luka Doncic’s comment that it’s easier to score in the NBA than in Europe. Or “FIBA basketball” if you will.
When asked about what Doncic said on the matter, six-time All-Star Lillard summarized some of the differences between NBA and international basketball when it comes to rules and defensive physicality that reduce a scorer’s options and make his life a bit more difficult.
Here’s what Lillard said in a presser prior to the Olympic Games Final and the win over France:
“I can see why. A lot of the best scorers in the NBA, they score from three and they get to the rim and they get fouled. In FIBA, there’s not as many fouls calls. You are going to get away with a lot more, it’s more physical. And there’s also no defensive three-second [violation]. So the paint is usually more crowded. Forcing into the paint is usually playing in a crowd. The referees aren’t going to give you the benefit of a doubt with a whistle. And it’s hard to play in a crowd. To score in a crowd and people who are just sitting in the paint. That’s tough. I think that definitely makes it harder to score when you play with FIBA rules as opposed to the NBA where there’s a lot of less contact allowed, defensive three seconds…”
There’s so many things that are different, that allow the scoring to be a little easier in the NBA,” Lillard added.
Lillard experienced the international type of basketball and all the unpleasant surprises it has in store even for an NBA offensive flamethrower like him for the first time this summer. It was the Blazers star’s debut stint with Team USA and it was concluded with the gold in the Olympics.
He had 11 points against France in the Final. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that he was playing through an abdomen injury during the tournament.
Doncic had made this highly viral and much criticized comment just a couple of months into his rookie year in the NBA. While analyzing why it’s tough to defend Doncic, former NBA DPOY Draymond Green mentioned that the Slovenian All-Star himself validated what he was saying thanks to his own performances.
In his last year in Europe when he won EuroLeague season and Final Four MVP, Doncic averaged 16.0 points in 25:56 minutes. He had 21.2 points in 32.2 minutes in his first season with the Dallas Mavericks and improved his scoring to 28.8 points in 33.6 minutes during his sophomore year. All while being a triple-double steamroller.