Steve Kerr explained Friday what he meant when he compared Damian Lillard to Steph Curry, and he clarified it wasn’t anything negative.
“After the game that night, he had hit like five shots from about 40 feet it felt like, and he was pulling up so deep behind the line, so I was being complimentary,” Kerr said Friday via Bay Area News Group’s Diamond Leung. “When Steph makes 40-footers and somebody else makes it, it just reminded me of Steph, so I didn’t mean anything by it. He’s a great player. He should have been an All-Star. I voted for him, for the record.”
After Lillard torched the Warriors for 51 points in Feb. 19 win over Golden State, Kerr complimented the Portland guard by saying he looked like Curry. Lillard shot 9-for-12 on threes in that game, so the comparison made sense. Lillard, however, did not take the comparison well.
“I respect Steph Curry,” Lillard said Thursday via The Oregonian. “Because what he’s doing is amazing. But I’m my own man. So don’t come to me and say I’m impersonating him. You telling me I’m impersonating somebody by doing well at my job is disrespectful.”
It’s understandable why Lillard wants to make his own mark and be recognized for his own greatness. It’s also understandable that he’s using the comparison as motivation to continue improving. But anyone with a reasonable mind should be able to recognize that being compared to Curry is a good thing and that no disrespect was meant. But on Lillard’s end, if he’s using that as fuel to get better, the Blazers should be pleased.
