Damian Lillard is one of the most eloquent players in the league today. His strength of character is unquestioned and a lot of fans love hearing what he has to say on issues in the world of basketball.
Lillard opened up on JJ Redick’s podcast about various topics and went on a rant about the entitled young players in the NBA today.
“I didn’t have, the word I was looking for is entitlement. Like, when I came into the league, you had to earn not just what you get from the team or the respect – you had to earn your space on the team. It was no ‘Oh you’re the sixth pick in the Draft? It’s your team.’ What is this your team stuff? I think now the difference is you don’t have that veteran presence. So you got players who are more talented than ever coming into the league, they’re getting picked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, they’re making more money than those picks ever made, so not only that, now you giving them the keys to the franchise. There’s nobody there to tell them, you’re super-talented, but you’ve gotta earn stuff around here. You have gotta earn your way. They come in and everything is given to them from the beginning. So that affects how they are, the way they play. They play for themselves, they play for stats. They think they’re LeBron James when they make an All-Star Game or get a max contract. It’s just different. I don’t know how to completely put it together, but the NBA I play in now is not the NBA I came into.”
Prior to going in on the new generation of lottery picks, Lillard emphasized how true veterans like Jared Jeffries and Jason Kidd were still around in the NBA when he got drafted in 2012 and how that has slowly changed.
A lot of veterans didn’t end up getting contract offers this season, like Carmelo Anthony, DeMarcus Cousins, Dwight Howard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and more.
What’s The Value Of Veterans In The NBA?
Udonis Haslem and the Miami Heat have shown that a team can have the final spot on their roster go to a veteran who barely plays just for locker-room harmony. However, this isn’t a practice most other teams follow. John Wall recently criticized the lack of veteran mentorship in the young Houston Rockets as well, showing teams need to find a balance.
Signing a big-name veteran to keep them in the league isn’t the answer either. Dillon Brooks’ recent message to veterans like Carmelo not getting a contract shows how players may view the former All-Stars trying to hold on to their NBA career. Not every veteran player is there to help the youngsters, some are still looking to help themselves and their own careers.
A young team without a veteran seems quite rudderless. Even if a lottery pick is bound to change the future of a franchise, letting a 19-year-old be an unquestioned voice in a locker room will always be problematic.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
