Upon his reception of the 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year award, Damian Lillard addressed the critics who questioned the Portland Trail Blazers’ decision to take the playmaker as the No. 6 pick of the 2012 NBA Draft.
The skeptics were as much of a driving force as Lillard’s own ambitions and intense work ethic.
“It’s nothing new to me,” said the former Weber State star. “I knew what I wanted for myself.”
Never mind that when the 6-foot-2 point guard left WSU following his junior season, he would leave as the Wildcats’ second-leading all-time scorer with 1,934 points as well as setting single-season school records for points (784) and scoring average (24.5).
Even though Lillard was the first player from the Big Sky Conference to be named to the AP All-American Team, it was not a league which traditionally produced NBA stars, let alone first-round draft choices.
The likes of Jeff Cook, Larry Krystkowiak and Michael Ray Richardson came out of the BSC to enjoy long NBA careers.
However, Lillard, a two-time BSC MVP, became only the fourth NBA newcomer, along with Ralph Sampson (1983-84), David Robinson (1989-90) and Blake Griffin (2010-11), to earn a unanimous Rookie of the Year vote.
“That was the biggest knock against him,” said Joe Freeman, the Blazers’ beat writer for the hometown Oregonian. “That [talk] just fuels him even more. When someone knocks Damian, he becomes a better player.”
And Portland management didn’t make any easier when it tagged Lillard as one of the centerpieces to help rebuild the franchise.
Yet, Lillard not only lived up to those unwieldy expectations, including those from the Blazers’ passionate fan base, he exceeded them.
From his first game, a 23-point, 11-assist effort during a 116-106 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers, Lillard’s star climbed and he’s never looked back.
By the way, NBA Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson and Isaiah Thomas were the only players in league history to score at least 20 points with 10 assists in their professional debut.
“I’m not surprised by it,” Lillard said at the news conference announcing his selection. “That’s not meant to be a cocky statement. But I’m not surprised by it at all because I put the work in to put myself in this position.”
Lillard’s season-ending totals of 1,562 points and 531 points again placed the Portland guard in rarified air. Until last season, only Robertson and Allen Iverson eclipsed 1,500 points and 500 assists as rookies.
In Portland history, Clyde Drexler was the only Blazer to surpass those numbers.
“The first step in building a championship-caliber organization is finding a championship-caliber point guard,” Portland general manager Neil Olshey told the Oregonian. “And about 10 months ago ... we decided Damian was that guy. That mantle that we asked Damian to carry as our future franchise point guard was a heavy weight to bear. And throughout it all, Damian accepted that responsibility and handled it with such great aplomb and courage and determination to prove to everybody that small school players can excel in our league. And he’s done that.”
Even as the Blazers stumbled down the stretch last season to a 33-49 record, Lillard’s effort never failed. He was only one of 28 NBA players to take the court in all 82 games.
The durable Lillard, who led the NBA in minutes played, won every Western Conference Rookie of the Month honor, the eighth player to sweep the award. He led all rookies in scoring, assists, field goals and free throws and set a franchise mark with 185 3-point baskets.
“The thing for me that has distinguished [Lillard] among other players I’ve coached is he was never satisfied,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said last season. “He’s about winning, he’s about character, he’s about community, he’s about team and he’s about getting better. And as well as he played this year, he was never satisfied.”
This season, it has been more of the same. Lillard is averaging nearly 22 points and six assists, creating a potent one-two punch with LaMarcus Aldridge as Portland has risen to the top of the Northwest Conference.
Was any of this expected coming out of Weber State where Lillard achieved nearly every goal – except getting to the NCAA Tournament. Montana proved too much of a roadblock and, in the end, Lillard’s teammates could not overcome injury and the stifling atmosphere of Montana’s Dahlberg Arena.
Weber State’s failure became more fodder for the critics. However, once he entered the NBA, Lillard’s game took off.
“There’s no question, once Damian got around better players, not only did he play better, but he took his game to another level,” Freeman said. “We knew he was going to be a starter, but we didn’t know he was as good as he was.”
It took about 16 games to justify Portland’s faith in Lillard. He averaged 18.4 points and 5.9 assists.
Two games, though, later in the season, pushed the former Weber State star to even another level.
On March 8, the unstoppable Lillard sparked a 136-106 spanking of San Antonio by scoring 35 points with nine assists – and zero turnovers.
Then, a month later in a Portland loss to the Lakers, Lillard and Kobe Bryant clashed in a high-flying offensive performance. Lillard finished with a career-high 38 points to go with nine assists.
Afterward, “I told him he was a bad boy,” said Bryant, who scored 47 points. “He was out there cooking with gasoline tonight.”
“I am very proud of what Damian accomplished this season,” Stotts said following Lillard’s acceptance of the league’s top rookie award. “It is a testament to his talent, character and work ethic that he played at a very high and consistent level throughout his rookie season. Along the way, his name was mentioned along with some of the greats to have ever played in the NBA.
“This is just the beginning of what is sure to be an outstanding NBA career. I know that Damian is already working on ways to get better for next season.”
Even as basketball fans in Ogden, throughout Utah and the Big Sky Conference continue to marvel at Lillard’s achievements in the NBA, can they expect even more?
“I want more than just the Rookie of the Year award,” Lillard declared following last season. “I want to win a championship. I want to be an All-Star. I want to be an MVP in this league. And people might say I’m crazy ... but I think I can do it.”
