Is Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard Underrated and Knicks’ Derrick Rose Overrated? Stats Prove Intriguing Details

In the social media era, debates are common among the masses regarding their favorite players or teams. However, there’s no clear rule or parameter to judge who’s better, but stats have played an important in explaining a player’s contributions. Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has often been compared with New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose. Both are point guards and have been compared for a while now.

Lillard is just one year younger than Derrick Rose but started his NBA career four years after him. But growth in basketball is not linear and players have different peak years. Rose’s playing time has massively decreased in the past four seasons. Lillard is the main man for Trail Blazers and attracted several potential suitors in the off-season before ending the rumors and staying in Portland.

An interesting stat has popped up, and it shows that Lillard is very underrated.

Damian Lillard and Derrick Rose compared statistically

Bleacher Report journalist Andrew Bailey recently posted a Twitter poll on his Twitter account of two players – A & B. The poll had stats of both players and Bailey asked everyone to vote for the better player. 94.25 of voters picked player B.

Bailey later revealed that player A in the poll is Derrick Rose’s three-year peak and player B is Damian Lillard’s last five seasons in the NBA. It means that everyone picked Damian Lillard’s last five seasons over Derrick Rose’s three-year peak.

Damian Lillard in the past five seasons averaged more points per game than Derrick Rose’s three-year peak.

The latter used to play for Chicago Bulls at that time. During his third season, he was so dominant that he won the NBA MVP in 2011. In fact, he became the youngest ever MVP in NBA history. Rose also made it to the All-Stars in those three seasons.

Lillard, however, is yet to win an NBA MVP award. But he has made it to the All-Stars in the last three seasons.

Rose may have averaged fewer points than Lillard’s past five seasons, but he has individual accolades to his name. Lillard may not have an MVP award with him, but he has been better statistically. But both players’ age differs in the comparison. The game has evolved so much in the last few years and the offensive stats have improved in the last two decades.

The debate is endless, but it can’t be denied that Rose and Lillard both are top players and one of the best during their peak. Who do you think is a batter player at their peak? Comment down below.

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