Damian Lillard walked into the NBA as a grizzled veteran.
The moment he stepped foot in Portland, he was ready to lead and impart wisdom on his teammates.
He’s always had the utmost confidence in himself, and he’s used that excess confidence to embolden those around him.
“I’m not surprised by it,” Lillard said at the news conference following his Rookie of the Year selection. “That’s not meant to be a cocky statement. But I’m not surprised by it at all because I put the work in to put myself in this position.”
Now thirteen years into his NBA career, he’s only refined his leadership skills.
Those will come in handy soon, as the Blazers have traded for the callow yet phenomenal Ja Morant, giving Lillard his tallest task yet.
Ja Morant Brings a Boatload of Baggage
The Blazers paid possibly the lowest-ever price for a 26-year-old two-time All-Star and Second-Team All-NBA player; Trading away Jerami Grant and Kris Murray was an exchange of bad money for worse money.
The reason it was so low is twofold: on-court issues and off-court issues.
The on-court issues, from injuries to playstyle to fit, are their own puzzle for Micah Nori, Morant and the Blazers’ training staff to deal with. However, the on-court journey won’t get off the ground without the off-court problems disappearing for good.
From 2022-2023, Morant:
- Threatened the Head of Security at a Memphis Mall
- Punched a 17-year-old and flashed a gun at said 17-year-old
- Was spotted riding in an SUV that pointed a laser at the Pacers team bus
- Flashed a gun on Instagram Live, twice, the second one resulting in a 25-game suspension
Morant lit his and the Grizzlies’ 2023-24 season on fire with his antics.
The 2024-25 season went alright for Morant and Memphis — the Thunder swept the No. 8-seeded Grizzlies en route to the NBA title.
But towards the end of that campaign, Morant’s disagreements with Head Coach Taylor Jenkins’ offensive schemes caused a rift in the franchise. The Grizzlies unprecedentedly fired Jenkins with a handful of games left in the regular season.
Morant continued to mire himself in controversy last season with poor play and spats with teammates and coaches.
“According to them, probably don’t play me, honestly,” Morant said to reporters when asked what could have been done differently in a loss against the Lakers. “That’s basically what the message was. It’s cool.”
While in London, Morant and Vince Williams were caught in a verbal altercation on the court during shootaround. Williams tried to take the squabble to the locker room, but Morant arrogantly refused.
Guns, threats, beefs, feelings of belittlement — these are the debts that Ja Morant must pay off. He needs to prove he is a kind, willing-to-learn, mature man and, above all, a team player.
That is the baseline for improvement; injuries and inefficiencies on the basketball court can be forgiven if Morant reforms his character. But with a long way to go to reclaim his posture in the NBA, he’ll need some help.
Damian Lillard’s Leadership Worked on Carmelo Anthony
Before the Blazers traded for Morant, on his podcast, “7PM in Brooklyn”, Carmelo Anthony said that Ja needed to go somewhere that’s already centered around culture and discipline.
“He needs help in the sense of a community on a team,” Anthony said. “This is where vets come in at…that’s the [stuff] he needs.”
Thankfully for Ja, just ask Anthony — there’s no better leader in the NBA than Lillard.
“Dame’s at the top for me,” Anthony told Yahoo Sports during the NBA bubble in 2020. “I’ve never played with someone who lifted his team on the court with his play and as a leader. He genuinely cares for his teammates. What he’s been able to do is amazing. He’s the top guy I’ve played with.”
Anthony didn’t just watch Dame’s leadership rectify a player’s career from afar — he lived it.
In 2018, a lackluster season as the supposed third star with the Oklahoma City Thunder forced General Manager Sam Presti to pay off the rest of Carmelo Anthony’s contract, turning him into a free agent that summer. The Houston Rockets scooped him up, but after just 10 games, the two parties mutually agreed to part ways. Anthony was teamless for the rest of that year.
Twelve games into the start of the 2019 season, the Blazers signed Anthony to a non-guaranteed deal. He immediately clicked with the team.
A big reason why was Lillard’s forward approach to making Anthony feel comfortable.
Two weeks into Anthony’s time with the Blazers, Lillard invited Anthony to his house for Thanksgiving. “Anthony, new to the city, didn’t have any family in town. He decided to take Lillard up on the offer,” Chris Haynes said in his article.
“That was Dame’s way of embracing him into the family and into the Trail Blazer family,” Lillard’s uncle, Oscar Johnson, said to Haynes.
Thanks to Lillard, Carmelo Anthony put together three more NBA seasons — two in Portland and one with the Lakers. Without Dame, it’s safe to say Anthony’s career would’ve ended a lot sadder.
Lillard Has Tamed Even the Hottest of Heads
All Blazer fans, and most NBA fans, know Jusuf Nurkic to be a surly guy.
The Bosnian Beast started his NBA career with the Nuggets. He showed promise in Denver, and at one point there was a plan for him and Jokic to start together. Eventually, Jokic’s talents took precedence. Nurkic’s discontent with the playing-time situation forced the Nuggets to attach a first-round draft pick to Nurkic in order for the Blazers to onboard him at the 2017 trade deadline.
In one of the few slam-dunk trades Neil Olshey made, Nurkic fit with the Blazers like a glove.
Why? Two reasons.
The first was their glaring need for a center upgrade, as they had started Mason Plumlee for each of the first 54 games that season.
The second? Lillard.
“Damian Lillard is the best thing that has happened to me in my life,” Nurkic said a mere nine months after the Blazers traded for him.
Lillard was willing to be honest with Nurkic from the jump. He told Nurkic the truth; he told him things he needed to hear.
“The first thing I remember him saying is: ‘We don’t make excuses here, man,’’’ Nurkic said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I need that.’’’
The relationship grew quickly from a mentor-mentee dynamic to a brotherhood.
“That’s my little-big brother,” Lillard said in a postgame interview in 2018.
“It’s all about love, man,” Nurkic responded.
The two share a bond that endures to this day.
After the Blazers traded Nurkic away in 2023, Nurkic trudged through tumultuous tenures with the Suns and Hornets. At one point, he told reporters that he and then Suns Head Coach Mike Budenholzer “didn’t have a relationship.”
This summer, Nurkic lauded Lillard’s leadership qualities in a podcast interview:
“We had that great mindset, starting with Damian Lillard, who was a real leader. He led by example. I don’t know how to explain it in the best way, but whatever he wanted others to do, that’s how it was. He could be loud, but he always led by example, whether in practice or on the plane — the guy was never late.”
Morant Has a Lot of Work to Do. Thankfully, Lillard Loves to Work
Lillard will take Morant under his wing when he touches down in Portland; that much is clear.
It’s hard to imagine Morant won’t find shelter there, at least at first. Lillard is a deity in Rip City. It would spell disaster if Morant tried to cross him or give him a cold shoulder.
But the Ja Morant reclamation project won’t be judged based on how this summer goes, no matter how many Instagram posts Morant, Lillard, or the Blazers post.
Wins and losses will determine whether this works. The Blazers are an up-and-coming team with a coach on a one-year deal. Morant might not need to fit perfectly right away, but the Blazers will need to win right away.
The Blazers won’t thrive if Morant doesn’t learn to reshape his game. He’s been a terrible shooter and off-ball player. He thrives in transition, which can be utilized, but so does Deni, and Shaedon, and Scoot.
In the halfcourt, Lillard will be the lead ballhandler and primary option. Morant will get his opportunities, but he can’t be a cone hiding in the corner when it’s not his turn.
And if he wants to coexist, to start and finish games alongside Lillard, Morant will have to become a better defender. He will need to work harder than his opponents to make up for his physical limitations. He will need to focus more diligently than he ever has before.
That journey starts in the gym. It starts tomorrow. If Morant can put in the hours, align his attitude, and be willing to do what is asked of him, this can work out.
Thankfully for him, he has the NBA’s hardest worker and greatest leader there to help.
Leave a comment