Because he played at obscure Weber State, you may not have heard of point guard Damian Lillard. But you will hear plenty about him come NBA Draft night, he just might be the first point guard taken, and looks to be a lock for the lottery. Mid-major guys are often overlooked and Lillard is no exception. Even though he has, and pretty much has always had, all the tools.
“I think a lot of people talk about me playing at a smaller school at Weber St. and I think camps like this are a perfect opportunity to show that I can play to the level of everyone else in the draft,” Lillard said at the NBA Draft combine.
I think playing in our offense at Weber State they needed me to score points, for us to be successful I had to score, but in the NBA I’ll be surrounded by NBA level players and it’ll be more likely for me to make plays for other guys and I won’t have to be such a dominant offensive player, less responsibility, I definitely think I can be a point guard in this league,” he continued.
Lillard has shot up the boards due to 1.) it’s a very weak point guard class 2.) Weber State had a great season 3.) his age and experience which gives him certain advantages over other prospects.
Here’s where we have Lillard in our latest mock draft:
10. New Orleans (from LAC via MIN)-Damian Lillard, PG, Weber State, 6-3, Jr.
Since they added some size with their earlier pick, the Hornets should look to bolster their backcourt depth. Damian Lillard would be a future replacement for Jarrett Jack. If Lillard is off the board, Kendall Marshall would be the next best option.
And here’s our summary of Lillard from our detailed scouting report on him
Summary: Playing against inferior competition in the Big Sky Conference, Lillard had a monster junior season, finishing second in the nation in scoring. He hasn’t displayed the ability to be a true distributor since he needed to be a scorer for the Wildcats, so that is a bit of a concern. Still, Lillard has a chance to be the first point guard taken in what is a weak class at the position. He should get selected somewhere from the late lottery to mid-first round.
Player Comparison: Jarrett Jack. Lillard is more of a scoring point guard than true floor general just like Jack. Both guys have good size for the next level, and can attack the tin or shoot it from deep.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Chicago Tribune.com, Fox Sports, MSN, Walter Football and Yardbarker
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