Damian Lillard is not a player like the others, especially when it comes to observing the evolution of basketball. According to him, the athletes of tomorrow are off to a very bad start for the moment… As a result, he is committed to putting them back on the right track, according to his own words.
In many ways, Damian Lillard is sailing completely against the current trends in the NBA world. Where most superstars no longer hesitate to change teams like shirts in order to glean a champion’s ring, he remains faithful to his Blazers to the end. He has just returned for two more years, determined to spend his entire career in Oregon… even if it means ending up without a title, his franchise having little chance of finishing on the throne before his retirement.
That loyalty is pretty uncommon in the league these days, and just goes to show just how old-school the No. 0 is. In the same style, he is not at all a fan of the mentality of young players today, he who will play his tenth season as a pro in 2022-23. Recently interviewed during his youth training camp, he explained that he wants to do his best to lead the future generation in the right direction:
Lillard wants to shape the basketball players of tomorrow
Damian Lillard had a lot to say today regarding the current culture around young basketball players and yes men.
He says his Formula Zero Camp is about teaching kids how to have the characteristics beyond talent in order to survive and stick in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/8WfiacLqwg
— Brenna Greene (@BrennaGreene_) August 5, 2022
You got all these people clinging to them, all these ass-lickers putting them in positions that make them feel like they’re all right, their mentality is kinda fucked up compared to how it’s really going to be as a pro, the fact of deserving things, of working, of knowing how to take criticism and being able to listen, to let yourself be coached.
When you arrive in a professional environment and you realize that talent alone is no longer enough, you have to be stable and mentally strong. You must be tough. You gotta have something to lean on because it’s getting hard. I want to help these kids, they have all these Instagram followers, but I want to help them have what it takes to not just be a talent.
The tirade is shattering to say the least, but it seems complicated to contradict Dame DOLLA on this subject. We hear more and more stories that a player’s loved ones interfere in his daily life within the franchise. This is particularly what happened with Kawhi Leonard before he left for Spurs, his uncle supposedly driving a wedge between him and the Texans. The leader wants to prepare the athletes of tomorrow to be able to survive in good conditions, without being influenced by external factors. A commendable commitment.
Damian Lillard says it clearly, the mentality of future NBA players is not the right one and it must be remedied as soon as possible. Whether his old-school approach will work remains to be seen, but we can only respect the approach of the Portland superstar.