Lillard praises Freeland’s debut efforts
Portland Trailblazer rookie Damian Lillard enjoyed an incredible first year in the NBA, highlighted by his winning of the 2013 Rookie of the Year award.
His nightly heroics were often worthy of mention from media outlets the following day but his Portland team, despite a strong first-half to the season, were unable to sustain their play-off fight, eventually finishing the season with a 33-49 record and out of the post-season.
Lillard recently spoke with British media about his first year in the league, taking time to praise Team GB power forward, Joel Freeland, for his efforts during a difficult rookie campaign.
“I thought he did a great job. His position is probably our strongest position with our best player (LaMarcus Aldridge) being a power forward. So it was probably tough for him at times because he didn’t always get the opportunity,” said Lillard.
Lillard’s kind words soften the more harsh reality that Freeland spoke of during his exit-interviews. Freeland, 26, was drafted by the Blazers in 2006 but spent the next six years playing in Europe to improve his game, only returning to make his début for the Blazers this season and finishing the year averaging 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per night.
Freeland described his first year in the league as “Tough. You know, I expected a lot more of myself..” but Lillard was full of praise for his hard-working team-mate, commending his work ethic and preparation.
“He was always one of the first people in the gym working hard and at the end of the season when there was a lot of minutes out there for all of us young players, he was ready because he was working. He stayed into what the team was doing and stayed focused.”
During the conference call with reporters, Lillard continued to talk on a number of topics, even casually mentioning that he believes he can one day be the league MVP – big aspirations for a first year player, especially when the bulk of his years in the league will be shared with Kevin Durant and Steph Curry.
But if Lillard is to reach his goal in claiming the league’s Most Valuable Player award and does so in Rip City, he’ll become only the second Blazer in franchise history to win the award, joining Bill
Walton in the process.
Lillard’s self-confidence was a key reason behind his stunning performances during the season, which included dropping 35 points on the Spurs, 37 points in Golden State and later on in the year, Blazers fans were treated to a season-high 38 points against the Lakers.
Despite playing in front of them for only a year, Lillard is in agreement with Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, who declared in 2011 that Portland has the ‘best fans in the NBA’.
“It’s great playing in front of them because whether it’s a five-game losing streak or five-game winning streak, they’re just as loud, supporting every game,” Lillard said of the Rose Garden crowd. “And even games that we aren’t in, they give us the energy we need to get ourselves going. Some teams don’t have that type of support, so for
them to be the type of crowd that they are is big for our team.”
Portland fans will be hoping that Lillard is able to live out his dreams in the black, white and red of the Blazers and give them the type of success they have craved since their first and last
championship in 1977.
