While only in his second year as a pro, Damian Lillard is taking the league by storm. He is quickly emerging as one of the league’s top point guards, and he is leading his Trail Blazers to one of the top spots in the West. Born of very humble beginnings, Lillard has had to work hard all his life. He was not a highly touted recruit in high school, nor was he viewed as a franchise point guard. However, Damian is currently proving everyone wrong.
Early Life
Lillard was born on July 15, 1990 in Oakland, California. Oakland is one of the most crime ridden cities in the US and gangs, drugs, and violence are all common themes. Unlike many of the young people living in Oakland, Lillard did not succumb to such vices. A large reason for this was his strong family presence, as both his mom and dad were honest, hardworking people.
Following his parents’ divorce, Lillard transferred to St. joseph Notre Dame High School, a school renowned for its basketball products. However, due to a lack of playing time, Lillard transferred the following year to Oakland High School.
Damian achieved great success in his two years at OHS, as he was nominated to first all-league twice. In his junior season Lillard averaged 20 points per game. He improved greatly his senior season, as he finished with averages of 22 points and five assists per game.
He was also a member of Oakland’s highly competitive AAU team. Despite his great success in high school, Lillard was not highly recruited and was regarded as a two star prospect by many of the top recruiting agencies. After fielding very few D-1 offers, Lillard committed to Weber State, which is located in Ogden, Utah.
College Career
Weber State is a small and rather uncompetitive mid-Major school and is a member of the Big Sky Conference. Before the arrival of Lillard, Weber State had been rather unsuccessful in basketball.
Upon his arrival his impact was immediately felt. He led the team to a 21-9 record, a major improvement from the previous year in which they finished 16-14.
Lillard was also named to the all-conference first team and won the Freshman of the Year award while averaging 12 points, three assists, and four rebounds per game.
As a sophomore, Lillard made major strides in his game as he increased his averages to 20 points, three assists, and four rebounds per game. Weber State again emerged as the conference champions and finished the season with a record of 20-10.
Lillard won the conference Player of the Year award and was an AP All-American honorable mention. Enter his junior year, Lillard and Weber State had high expectations. Following a solid start, Damian suffered a foot injury only ten games into the season. The injury was serious enough that it would force Lillard to miss the remainder of the season. He was granted a medical redshirt.
After a very long rehab, Lillard began the 2011 season as a redshirt junior. He quickly emerged as one of the better guards in the nation and was quickly gaining attention. He finished the season by leading the nation in scoring with 24 points per game. He also increased his rebounds, assists, shooting percentage, as well as his three point shooting ability.
He once again won the conference Player of the Year award and was selected to his third first team all-conference. He was also named to the AP All-American third team and was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award. Lillard decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and he decided to declare for the NBA Draft.
NBA Career
Despite the illustrious college career, Lillard’s pro outlook was very unclear. People had him projected as the top point guard in the draft, while others considered him a late first round pick.
Many scouts felt that his lack of competition inflated his college stats and that he would struggle against the best the NBA had to offer. However, after great individual workouts and interviews, Lillard’s stock rose immensely.
Despite the uncertainty of his pro outlook, the Blazers were very impressed with Lillard and they selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Lillard shinned immediately, as he averaged 26 points, five assists, and four rebounds in Summer League play. Damian’s excellent play continued through his rookie year as he continuously impressed and proved all his doubters wrong.
Lillard was named as the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award every single month in the 2012 season. He also broke the record for most three pointers made as a rookie. He was also named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year. He finished the season averaging 19 points, six assists, and three rebounds per game.
Together, Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridgehave been one of the most dynamic duos in the NBA and have led the Blazers to a record of 33-13. The Blazers currently sit at third in the West and that is due in large part to Lillard’s great play. So far this season, Lillard is averaging 20 points, five assists, and three rebounds per game.
He has also made over 130 three pointers and has emerged as one of the best shooters in the league. The future looks bright in Portland, and that is due in large part thanks to their budding super-star, Damian Lillard.