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This week, Damian Lillard set an NBA rookie record for 3-pointers, passing Stephen Curry’s mark set three years ago. But that is not his most impressive number.
For virtually the entire season, Lillard has led all rookies in scoring, assists and free throws. But those are not his most impressive numbers, either.
As this version of our Rookie Rankings is published, Lillard leads in minutes played.
Not all rookies. All players.
This coming weekend, Moe Harkless will have to match up against both LeBron James and Kevin Durant for the second time in three weeks. But that doesn’t scare him.
Do you know what does spook the 19-year-old rookie forward of the Orlando Magic? Haunted hotels.
Last weekend, Harkless and his Magic teammates made a trip to Oklahoma City and stayed in the Skirvin Hilton, which is supposedly haunted. After his first stay there, Harkless may be a believer.
En route to the best record in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs have withstood injuries to Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard.
Now they will have to do without Tony Parker, their most indispensable player.
The Spurs announced Saturday that Parker had an MRI that revealed a Grade 2 sprain of his left ankle that will sideline him for four weeks.
Parker was hurt in the third quarter of Friday’s 130-102 home rout of Sacramento. He is averaging a career-high 21.0 points (10th in the NBA) and 7.6 assists (sixth) while shooting 53.3 percent fron the field (first among guards).
Parker has started to receive MVP consideration. Prior to the All-Star break, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich – whose gushing comes extremely grudgingly – said his point guard “should be in every conversation for any award that’s going to be given.”
Popovich continued his campaign last week, saying, “Name me a point guard who’s had a better season? I can’t think of one.”
The Spurs are 46-14, two games in front of Miami for the NBA’s best record and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. San Antonio also is trying to hold off Oklahoma City (42-16) and the Los Angeles Clippers (43-18) in the Western Conference.
Over the last three seasons, the Spurs are 150-44 when Parker plays and just 7-7 when he doesn’t.
However, if told their star point guard was going to miss a month, the Spurs probably would have picked March. They have 13 games remaining in the month and 11 are at home.
Parker’s backups are rookie Nando de Colo and Patty Mills. Ginobili also runs the offense on occasion.
Riddle me this:
If I were to ask you which NBA team could eviscerate the leagues most respected defense, the Chicago Bulls, for 103 points – an offensive efficiency that’s seven points higher than the average mark of the league leading Oklahoma City Thunder – a handful of teams might come to mind.
In the 2012 draft, Thomas Robinson and Damian Lillard could not have been closer together. Robinson 
went fifth to the Sacramento Kings and Lillard went sixth to the Portland Trail Blazers.
In their rookie seasons. however, Robinson and Lillard could not be farther apart.
To be fair, Lillard has had a better opportunity to show his wares. Portland basically gave him the point guard position with carte blanche to learn on the job, dumping everyone from last season except Nolan Smith.
Robinson wasn’t walking right into a chasm of a starting spot. But he did seem more than capable of backing up the starting big man tandem of DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson and making his mark over the course of the campaign.
