After going 0-9 from beyond the arc against the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers’ star point guard Damian Lillard recognized that it was a difficult start to the season. However, Lillard seemed to be unbothered by the misses, reports Jason Quick of the Athletic, noting that it’s just part of the game.
“You make ’em, and you miss ’em,” Lillard said Wednesday night. “I think that’s a lot of power in being able to live with the success of it, and the failure of it, and tonight was no different.”
Lillard has learned to live with missing shots.
“It happens,” Lillard said. “It’s part of the game. I didn’t make one tonight, but this is one out of 82. I’m going to continue to be me and shoot the same shots.”
He thought back to earlier in his career, and some of his first late-game misses.
“When I was younger, I would be really bothered by it … it would stick with me longer,” he said. “Now, I’ve played enough games to where it’s like, move on to the next one.”
He knows not to dwell on it.
“You overthink it and it just drags out,” Lillard said. “But I stopped doing that, and that’s why over the last 4-5 years, I will have a bad shooting night here and there, but it’s never long stretches. I’ve been a lot more consistent with it. Tonight was just one of those nights.”
While it may not be the start to the season he wanted, he’ll get over it.
“On the ride home I’ll probably be like, ‘Damn, I missed 9 out of 9? That’s crazy,”’ Lillard said. “But it happens … I’m not going to show up to the facility tomorrow (thinking) of making 1,000 3s. I’m going to do my routine and get my work in. I’ll be fine and move on to the next game.”
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