Word association for Damian Lillard in June: Who? Short. Weber State. Small conference.
Word association for Damian Lillard, Portland’s starting point guard, now: Rookie of the Year? Explosive. Precocious.
Yeah, the world is getting to know Lillard better and better every time he steps on the court as starting point in Portland, in only his third month playing professional basketball. Mostly the attitude change is a product of his All Summer League performance in Las Vegas, but also too because of his video series, License to Lillard, that brings anyone outside his circle inside for a small window.
Today the third episode in the series dropped and provides a rare look into the pre-draft process and where it took Lillard. Stops go from Oakland (Author’s note: At the Merritt College gym I played in in 2003) to Portland and finally, New Jersey for the Draft. One of the themes is Lillard’s need to prove more than almost anybody else in his class because of his reputation as a prolific scorer, albeit from a small school. Despite passing one of the world’s most intense job interviews, Lillard’s pressure has only increased in his role as a rookie starter now. But keep in mind while watching that his prominent role in Terry Stotts‘ offense is because of the workouts shown in this episode and the “buzz” that was created out of them. Credit goes to Nate Jones and Kam Pashai, who helped put together the video.
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