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Damian Lillard scored 22 points, dished out nine assists and made 5-of-6 three-point shots against Jimmer Fredette and the Sacramento Kings last week to end a four-game skid for the Trailblazers.
Fredette played 25 minutes for the short-handed home team and scored 13 points of his own, but only made 1-of-6 shots from behind the arc.
The match-up was the first against each other in the NBA for the former Utah college all-Americans, and Lillard once again proved that the transition has been easier for him in nearly ever facet of the game.
However, Fredette spoke about what he learned during his rookie season with Jason Ross of KHTX radio in Sacramento and the differences between years one and two.
"Last year was a transition year, something that I just need to continue to work on and get better and use it as motivation to get better as an NBA basketball player and help this team reach where we want to go, so that's pretty much what I'm trying to do right now. Settled in, feeling great and hopefully able to have a great season.”
Zach Harper of CBSSports.com has noticed Fredette looking more comfortable on the floor after struggling to get separation on his shot last season. Harper says that Fredette is using his limited minutes wisely and scoring 20 percent of his points in transition. But, despite the positive statistics, Fredette scored only five points in 17 minutes in the Kings' other two games this past week.
Meanwhile, Lillard scored a career high 27 points in an overtime win against the Houston Rockets last week. He followed up that performance with a 16-point outing in a win against the Chicago Bulls and ruffled some feathers in the process.
With the game in hand and time running out, Lillard dunked the ball for two more points, much to the displeasure of Chicago players Nate Robinson, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah. The trio expressed their displeasure and helped the rookie learn a lesson.
"I just told him he can't do that," Gibson told the Oregonian. "He didn't say anything. He was making a scene out of nothing. He made the layup and me and Joakim just addressed it, like, 'In the future, you have to be smarter. A lot of teams aren't going to let you do that.’ ”
Despite his rookie faux-pas, Lillard's success has some believing that his potiential is limitless and is garning comparisions to former MVP Derrick Rose in addition to other great point guards.
Lillard and Portland head east for a seven-game road trip after Thanksgiving, while Fredette and the Kings host the Lakers before playing the Utah Jazz in back-to-back games Friday and Saturday.
Andrew Devey is a BYU senior studying communications. You can follow him on Twitter @adevey or watch him curate Fredette and Lillard's NBA season at bit.ly/JimmerLillard
