Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard Deserves His Unanimous Selection As NBA’s Top Rookie


It was hardly stunning news on Wednesday that Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers was named NBA Rookie of the Year.

They should have announced the award midway in the season. It was obvious no one was having the type of season that Lillard enjoyed.

As a 6-foot-3 guard, Lillard joined Oscar Robertson and Allen Iverson as the only NBA rookies to get more than 1,500 points and 500 assists in a season. He also became the fourth unanimous Rookie of the year in league history, joining Blake Griffin in 2011, David Robinson in 1990 and Ralph Sampson in 1984.

The only suspense was whether or not Lillard would be unanimously picked. It would have been a crime if he hadn’t been.

Lillard’s season, in which he averaged 19.0 points and a team high 6.5 assists along with 3.1 rebounds and 3.6 minutes, makes Portland look like geniuses for having drafted the Weber State prospect sixth last year. He wasn’t expected to be the NBA’s top rookie but he certainly was.

Lillard did so many good things on the court that it’s tough for people to realize everything he accomplished. He broke the NBA rookie record for 3-pointers made in one season with 185. He also became the first rookie to lead the NBA in total minutes played with 3,167 in a season since Elvin Hayes in 1968-69.

It is hard to believe Lillard won’t be able to take his accomplishments forward and be among the best players in the NBA. It’s hard to figure how Portland, with players like Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge, finished at 33-49. But that’s something for Portland management to determine.

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