Film Room: Every Single Way Damian Lillard Dissected The Pelicans In Pick-And-Roll

Damian Lillard was absolutely unstoppable in pick-and-roll action against the Pelicans. Here are 16 different ways – with video! – he dissected New Orleans' defense to lead Portland to victory.

Remember the 2018 playoffs? Trail Blazers fans have probably tried to forget their team's embarrassing first-round sweep by the New Orleans Pelicans. 

It's safe to say Damian Lillard, though, recalls the most humbling moments of his career quite well. Nearing three years since being consistently stymied by Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis at the point of attack, Lillard continues showing off the widespread improvement that's propelled him to become arguably the best pick-and-roll player in basketball.

Lillard's additional skill, guile and patience in ball-screen action was on full display from the opening in his team's win over New Orleans on Wednesday. Davis and Holiday have since moved on, of course, ridding the Pelicans of elite defenders uniquely equipped to keeping him in check. But Stan Van Gundy's team still pulled out every stop imaginable to limit Lillard, only for Portland's franchise cornerstone to prove over and over that he's a much different player now than he was three years ago.

It began early during Wednesday's game, with Lillard targeting Steven Adams in pick-and-roll on the Blazers' second possession. When New Orleans' lumbering center meets him well above the arc to prevent a potential off-dribble three, Lillard takes a couple bounces to his left as Lonzo Ball chases, forcing the defense to fully commit two to the ball before hitting an open Enes Kanter on the roll.

Portland's next trip down was another high ball screen between Lillard and Kanter, this one after Gary Trent Jr. flew off a flare to the corner.

As Adams again steps up to honor the imminent threat of the long ball, Lillard hesitates with a lefty dribble before bursting to the rim for a finger roll, knowing Eric Bledsoe won't leave a shooter like Trent open in the strong corner.

A couple minutes later, Kanter and Robert Covington prepare to set a double drag screen for Lillard early in the clock, but it's a decoy. 

Covington recedes as Lillard comes around the first pick, keeping Adams engaged as the helper and leaving Kanter free rolling to the rim. Easily missed here: Lillard subtly faking a pass to Trent in the weak corner before he finds Kanter, making Bledsoe hesitate to commit to the roll.

Lillard's third three of the first quarter came with Derrick Jones Jr. setting a side ball screen. As Zion Williamson retreats after helping and Ball recovers toward the sideline to stop a drive, Lillard uses the latter's momentum against him, pulling back for a splashed three.

Still in the first quarter, Lillard exploits Adams again. 

Jabbing right on the catch, he then splits Kanter and Ball without ever actually using the former's pick, keeping Adams in help position high up the floor but way behind the play. When Josh Hart overcommits from the weak wing to stop the drive, Lillard fires the ball to a wide-open Carmelo Anthony for three more.

Dribble hand-offs basically function as ball screens in the modern NBA, and have long been a staple of Terry Stotts' offense.

After New Orleans stormed to a lead with him on the bench, Lillard came back late in the second quarter to stop the bleeding. Inbounding from the baseline, he comes off a corner pindown from Covington prior to initiating hand-off action with Kanter. Lillard takes an extra dribble toward the middle upon receiving the ball, ensuring a full tag from Hart on Kanter's roll and leaving Covington open in the corner. One slick behind-the-back pass later, Covington lets Hart fly by for an uncontested mid-ranger.

Lillard dropped a career-high 16 assists on Wednesday, but his impact as a passer even loomed larger than the box score suggested.

After goading a trap from the Pelicans on Portland's opening possession of the third quarter, he passes to Kanter on the short roll, knowing his team would own the numbers advantage behind the play. Kanter isn't the most willing or natural passer, obviously, but even he's able to find Jones cutting for a dunk from the weak corner when the defense converged on him.

Shortly thereafter, the Blazers open in a HORNS set with Kanter and Jones stationed at the elbows and Lillard dribbling at the top of the floor. As the double pick approaches, he goes between his legs to the right, then uses Jones' pick as Williamson helps, Ball recovers, Jones pops and Kanter rolls.

Understanding Bledsoe's help responsibility to tag the roller from the weak corner, Lillard whips a cross-court bullet to Trent in the far corner, resulting in an overzealous closeout and four-point play.

Not every spot-up shooter is treated equally by the defense. Bledsoe, remember, stayed attached to Trent in the stong corner – a tenet of NBA defense – on Lillard's scooping lefty drive from the first quarter. But surrendering a corner triple from a shooter like Jones one pass away is a much more palatable option for the Pelicans. 

After getting Ball in the air with a quick fake to Kanter on the roll following a drag screen, Lillard sees Williamson cheat off Jones from the strong corner to stop his drive. Buckets.

This one doesn't require as much explanation, but keep in mind how Lillard strings out the defense by drifting to his left before letting fly.

Now in crunch time, Lillard knows full well New Orleans will sell out even harder to make sure someone else beats them.

After taking another double drag screen, he keeps his dribble alive, coaxing Hernangomez and Ball to come with him. The extra bounces and defensive attention force Brandon Ingram to leave Covington on the perimeter, instead sticking with Kanter on the roll – exactly what Lillard wants. A quick chest pass back to Covington gets Ingram scrambling, and the former takes advantage with another mid-range pull-up.

One possession later, Portland goes right back to double drag. But Trent is in the action this time, and the Blazers intentionally leave the weak corner empty, lengthening the distance it will take the Pelicans to help.

Lillard uses Trent's screen then takes a quick retreat dribble back to halfcourt, keeping J.J. Redick – guarding Trent – involved in the play. New Orleans does well to initially run Trent off the line, but he's just too good a shooter off movement for it to matter.

Poor Hernangomez. The game is hanging in the balance, and everyone in Smoothie King Center and watching at home knows exactly whose time it is. 

But Lillard has already demonstrated the ability to put his head down and get all the way to the rim. Surely that's again Lillard's aim when he goes left around a double screen and quickly crosses over above the arc, right? Wrong. 

Hernangomez is Lillard's victim yet again with just more than a minute remaining, but at least he's not the only one.

Again using double staggered screens, this time with a dribble hand-off, Lillard goes from right to left as Hernangomez tries to keep up and Ball frantically trails behind them. With Trent in the strong corner, the only obstacle between Lillard and the rim if he's able to turn the corner around Hernangomez is Williamson, not the most active rim-protector.

A ball fake to Jones in the dunker spot gets Williamson off his feet, leaving Lillard free for a slick Eurostep finish.

Portland runs what's effectively the very same set on the very next play, just higher up the floor to give Lillard a longer runway. 

Beating Hernangomez with a nasty hesitation dribble as Ball recovers in pursuit, Lillard sees just Williamson between himself and the rim again. But this time he actually dumps the ball off to Jones when he previously faked the pass, resulting in an easy score that puts Portland on top.

Lillard, you won't be surprised to hear, is one of the most efficient pick-and-roll operators in basketball. Only four players in the league average more points per possession in ball-screen action, per NBA.com/stats. Among the 19 players who finish at least nine pick-and-roll possessions per game, none are more efficient than Lillard.

But with the game on the line against New Orleans, Lillard merely used the specter of a ball screen to send the Blazers victory. 

When Ball plays him straight up despite Covington coming to set a pick to his right, Lillard plants his feet and drives hard the other way, knowing help now must come from the opposite corner. Ball does a good job maintaining contact with Lillard on the drive, but it's already too late. 

The help never comes, Lillard decelerates to draw contact and finishes a tough and-1 to put Portland up for good.

Defenses may be more fearful of Steph Curry launching from 35 feet. James Harden's step-back is probably a bit smoother. Luka Doncic is more adept at putting his defender in jail after turning the corner. Nobody sees the floor like LeBron James when multiple defenders converge on the ball. 

Lillard, though, now has a deeper bag of daggers, counters and tricks in pick-and-roll than any player in the NBA. Not bad for a guy whose deficiencies in the same category the Pelicans painfully exposed not even three years ago.

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