A player that came out of a small school has developed into a star in the league. It’s a tale that’s old as professional sports, and one that fans love to hear. In today’s NBA, there’s one real-life example that’s getting more fanfare than ever before:
Damian Lillard.
By now, Lillard’s story of going from Weber State to a first-round selection to becoming a top-five PG has been well documented. His game has evolved and so too have the Portland Trail Blazers. From a team that won 33 games his rookie year with the likes of Luke Babbitt, Ronnie Price, and Victor Claver to a 53-win third seed in the West this year, Damian Lillard’s rise is nothing short of remarkable.
The Portland Trail Blazers aren’t just a good basketball team, they’re a good franchise. They haven’t missed the playoffs since 2012-13 and lost four starters to different teams in consecutive offseasons. There’s been a lot of roster turnover, but one person has remained constant – Damian Lillard.
And, I still thought he should be traded.
It wasn’t because I thought Damian Lillard was a bad player. I was approaching it from a business perspective. Lillard would fetch more in a trade than McCollum or any other iteration of Portland’s rosters since Lillard has entered the league. At one point, I even thought that Portland would be better off building around McCollum rather than Lillard.
Boy, was I wrong.
Lillard doesn’t play like he believes he’s a top-five PG. He plays like he knows he’s #1. (For the record, that ranking still goes to Steph Curry, but Dame is making a strong case for second this postseason.)
Damian Lillard doesn’t play like he’s now two wins away from reaching the Western Conference Finals; a place the franchise hasn’t been to since the 1999-2000 season.
Just by watching the Trail Blazers play, it’s clear that Lillard plays to his strengths and makes his teammates better. He plays with confidence and gets his shots but still gets his teammates involved.
If the Trail Blazers are able to add another star to their lineup this offseason, I’d say do it.