Damian Lillard’s first three years in the NBA have been interesting.
In that time he’s won Rookie of the Year, made two All-Star appearances and been named to the All-NBA Third Team, averaging 20.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game along the way.
It is perhaps no coincidence that he Portland Trailblazers have made the playoffs twice since drafting Lillard 6th overall in 2012. After all, in 2013-14 they logged 54 regular season wins en route to the Western Conference Semi-finals, while last season a banged-up roster notched 51 wins before getting eliminated in the first round.
This season’s campaign represents an entirely different prospect for Lillard and the Blazers though: gone are most of the savvy veterans the young guard’s grown up with, replaced largely by prospects like himself.
The roster does still feature some experienced heads, but rather than LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews, Lillard will be playing alongside the likes of Ed Davis and Gerald Henderson.
Make no mistake about it, the Blazers are still a team to watch. But rather than being a complementary piece as he’s used to, Lillard is now the centerpiece and it’ll be his job to make it tick.
Some will argue that that’s exactly what he’s been doing his entire NBA career. Aldridge is a great power forward, not to mention a solid leader, but Lillard always had the keys to the car. Remember the winner he hit against the Houston Rockets in game six of the 2014 playoffs? That was probably the point at which people stopped doubting him and realized his true potential.
He put up some big time numbers during this postseason gone too, averaging 21.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists as the beaten up Blazers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in five games.
Yep, the kid can play, but this season’s going to provide a true test of his character.
The idea in Portland is to turn things around as quickly as possible. That’s why the majority of the players they got back this offseason are youngsters who’ve exhibited potential during their brief NBA careers, or projects, i.e. low-risk acquisitions who could turn out to be diamonds in the rough.
Take Moe Harkless for instance. In three years with the Orlando Magic, he’s averaged 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He shoots just 31% from three point territory and 39% from the field. As for his mark at the charity stripe; 58%.
It doesn’t matter though, as the Blazers gave up nothing more than a 2020 second round draft pick to acquire him. If he turns into the Kawhi Leonard-alike he showed glimpses of becoming in Orlando, great. If he doesn’t, they cut him free and move on.
That same philosophy applies to guys like Meyers Leonard, Al-Farouq Aminu and Noah Vonleh too, as all are low-risk acquisitions who have the potential to develop quickly given the chance.
Leonard and Aminu can potentially expect starters’ minutes, as along with Lillard, highly-coveted third year guard C.J. McCollum and the Blazers’ best pick up of the offseason, Mason Plumlee, they seem to offer the best balance of experience/ability.
After all, that’s what Lillard’s going to have to deal with this year; inexperience and, potentially, inability.
One of the biggest challenges that’s likely to present the Weber State alum is finding a balance between scoring and creating. Although a bit streaky at times Lillard can score for fun and there will be times when he needs to on a team that’s going to struggle for consistency on offense. But he’ll also be expected to create opportunities for his new teammates in order to help them develop on that end of the floor.
It’ll be interesting to see how he handles that duel responsibility, especially as it’s likely to result in some Jekyll and Hyde play at times.
If preseason play is anything to go by he’s so far tried to carry the burden; logging 17 points against the Sacramento Kings, 32 points against the Utah Jazz, 20 points against the L.A. Lakers and a whopping 39 points against the L.A. Clippers.
There’s nothing wrong with that, but Lillard’s going to have to trust his new teammates a little more if the Blazers are going to make any noise over the course of the upcoming 82 game season.
It’s time for Damian Lillard to step up. The irony is that it’s likely to be those around him who determine determine just loud this team is.
Photo via ripcityproject.com
