A Superstar in the Making

Fantasy Basketball Leagues. Something I was not a fan of in the past, which seems weird because I love talking about stats and analyzing the best players in the league. I take extreme interest in players who produce and have great number but don't get the recognition they deserve. I just found the fantasy leagues to be too time consuming, so I rejected any offers to join leagues in the past. Prior to this season, my homeboy from college, Jean, invited me to join a league and after some persuasion and trash talk (he knows how to push the right competitive buttons), I joined the league.

The day of the draft I was stuck in church and couldn't actually draft my own team. The next day I looked at my roster and was very disappointed. I had two point guards. One being Chris Paul, which made me very happy, and then a rookie named Damian Lillard who I honestly knew nothing about. If I did participate in the draft I know for a fact he would have been someone I overlooked. Being that I didn't actually pick my roster I was immediately lost interest in the league. I guess everything happens for a reason. A few days pass and Jean randomly texted me and said he had a trade proposal. George Hill for Damien Lillard. Immediately I rejected the trade. I knew if Jean wanted him I figured Lillard was something special. I didn't know he would be this special.

After doing some research I found out a little more about the 6’3 point guard. Damian is product of Oakland California, where he played his high school ball before going to Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. At Weber he was named to the All-Conference first team in his freshman year and had an outstanding collegiate career as he dominated the Big Sky conference. He decided to forego his last year of eligibility but not before becoming the number 2 scorer in Weber State history. He was even named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award given to the top men’s collegiate point guard. Portland scooped him up with the sixth pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Barring injury Lillard without a doubt will be labeled Rookie of the Year and one great thing about fantasy basketball is I can start Lillard and Paul in my backcourt without worrying about mismatches on defense. Lillard is averaging 18.1 points per game to go along with 6.5 dimes. What's more amazing is his efficiency rating is +17. The Trailblazers are in playoff contention as we approach the halfway mark of the season and seem to be a young promising team. They have a solid big man in Aldridge, a lengthy scorer and defender in Batum, and Wesley Matthews is still a sharp shooter and great perimeter defender. What Damian brings to Portland is more than what pops off the stat sheet. He orchestrates the offense well, gets the ball to his teammates that were previously mentioned (who all average over 15 points), and he is a knockdown shooter, especially down the stretch.

One thing that bothers me is the fact that he is two years younger than me, which means I have to come to terms with the fact that my dreams of playing in the NBA simply won't manifest. But, I guess that’s a personal gripe. Lillard is going to be a name in the league often mentioned for years to come and if he keeps playing the way he is, the Portland Trailblazers may be contending for more than just a playoff berth in the next few years. He's a superstar in the making. We may be looking at the first rookie guard to be an All Star since Michael Jordan in 1985. That we will know for sure in about a month or so.