For years, people have urged Damian Lillard to just pack it up and leave the Portland Trail Blazers. He’s one of the best scorers in the league and one of the greatest shooters this game has ever seen.
Even so, Lillard has made it clear that he has no intention whatsoever of leaving RIP City. If anything, the front office will have to force his way out with a trade, or he’ll spend his entire career there.
But as loyal as he’s been to the team, that doesn’t mean he’s going to be a Yes man or be satisfied with a lack of effort. That’s why he recently called his teammates out for not being consistent enough.
NBA News: Damian Lillard Wants Blazers To Be Consistent
“The hardest thing to do in this league is to have it every night,” Lillard told The Athletic. “Not just having your body ready and energy, but your mind has to be into it — you have to care. You have to have pride. You have to be sharp and locked into the scouting report and know how the game is going to be won, outside of bringing your ability to the table. And I think where we are as a team, we just haven’t decided who we are going to be all the time.”
He Thinks They Can Win A Ring
Lillard has often talked about his team’s mindeset and how that could be key for them to go the distance once and for all. He’s confident in the roster and his teammates, but they gotta be as well:
“I think we can be a championship team,” Lillard told Michael Scotto. “We’ve got a good mix of veterans with experience and young talented guys. Right now in the league, that’s who you’re seeing are the most successful teams. It’s no longer look at this super team over here. It’s who’s got the talent, who can get up and down and score, who’s fearless, who defends, who has experience and leadership? It’s all of those things that give you a shot to be one of those final teams. You’re seeing it across the league, and I think we fall into that category. We’ve got to be healthy.”
The renewed Blazers have proven that they can go toe-to-toe with anybody in the league. But they still need to prove that they can hold their own night in and night out, or this could be another long season in RIP City.