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The Portland Trail Blazers announced in early July that the financial parameters of Damian Lillard’s new contract were five years, $120 million to make sure the point guard remained in the great northwest.
When the contract was announced there was a collective jaw drop around the league as there always is when hundreds of millions of dollars are being offered, but in Lillard’s case it seemed to make sense. After spending four years at little-known Weber State, Lillard built up enough hype to be taken by the Blazers with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2013 draft.
He burst onto the scene averaging 19.0 points and a still career-high 6.5 assists in his rookie campaign en route to winning Rookie of the Year honors, outplaying the likes of Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal and Andre Drummond to name a few. He hasn’t looked back since. Lillard has only gotten better with age, but the now 25-year-old PG will face his toughest test yet this upcoming season.
The Trail Blazers did absolutely nothing to help their budding superstar and actually traded away all of the assets that were the recipients of his lethal passing attack. Robin Lopez, gone, Nicholas Batum, gone, and most importantly LaMarcus Aldridge, gone. These were the faces that Lillard had built a camaraderie with and more importantly knew on the floor.
Sure, Portland brought in experienced veteran wing Gerald Henderson, saw serious upside with Noah Vonleh and drafted a beast of a forward in Cliff Alexander, but none of these players are noted scorers or have ever played a meaningful minute with Lillard as their floor general.
So, the fate of a team that has made the playoffs the last two seasons now falls on the slender 6-foot-3 shoulders of Lillard. His individual talent is undeniable, as he can score with the likes of Russell Westbrook and can pass with the likes of Chris Paul, but he has never been in the position he finds himself in now.
With a totally unproven roster, it will squarely on to him to make sure the team gels on and off the court if they want to continue to be successful and Lillard to wants to still be thought of as one of the elite point guards in the league. It’s much easier to see Lillard taking a step back next season than it is to think that he will make real progress.
This is no fault of Lillard’s, but the other elite point guards in the NBA all have players around them who elevate that point guard’s game and make them the threat they are. There has been a rare breed of PGs who have ever actually dominated the game, and Lillard doesn’t have the scoring prowess of an Allen Iverson or the creativity of Magic Johnson. If the Blazers would have brought in just one legitimate scorer to help lessen the Lillard’s load then the outlook might be different, but it didn’t happen.
With $120 million at stake, the Trail Blazers will only go as a far as Lillard takes them, and he will surely be feeling the pressure to perform. But as of right now, it’s hard to say 2015-16 will be any better than the last two seasons.
Douglas Ammon is an NBA Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Who covers all things about the Association, follow him on Twitter @DA76er
