If Damian Lillard had his way, he would be a Trail Blazer for life. Not only that, but he would bring at least one NBA championship to the franchise. And he has remained adamant that he wants to do things the right way and bring a championship to a city and a franchise that has been very kind to him.
Lillard is one of the elite players in this league. But playing in Portland has served as a hindrance to his career. Because he is playing in a smaller market, it is difficult for him to attract big-name free agents, and so, he doesn’t have players of a high caliber who can help him in his pursuit of a championship.
Dame is a superstar in the league and would make the starting roster for almost every team in the NBA today. And while there are several franchises who would be ready to part with key assets in order to secure his arrival, he doesn’t want to leave the franchise, something he reassured Blazers fans of very recently.
Lillard’s chances of winning a championship in Portland are very slim. But he seems to know that, addressing his career during a freestyle he did with a radio station. He referenced wanting to be like Dirk Nowitzki and Giannis Antetokounmpo, winning a championship with the team that drafted him without ever leaving.
He dropped several bars during the freestyle about not leaving Portland, but the most damning might be “Me not wanting to join a superteam might end up being my Achilles’ Heel” (slide 3).
“They wanted me to jump ship, Rip City back in action. Not me.”
“I can’t jump around like a pogo.”
“Me not wanting to join a super team might end up being my Achilles heel… Trying to get next to Freak and Dirk on that lonely hill.”
So far, Lillard has been struggling at the start of the season. In fact, Lillard is shooting at a poor 17% from the three-point line and was even under 10% a few days ago. But Lillard knows that he is playing well, but the shot is just not going in for him.
He has responded to fans criticizing him, pointing out that his poor form in 4 games won’t undermine 9 years of proving himself. But Lillard needs to find his range back if he and the Blazers want to reach the playoffs this year. The sooner he improves his scoring, the better it will be for the Trail Blazers.
