Is Damian Lillard’s cole start to the season linked to his rumored uncertain future with the Portland Trail Blazers?
Just a few weeks ago, when the 2021-22 NBA season was just about to begin, all seemed right and well for the Portland Trail Blazers. After an offseason of trade whispers regarding Damian Lillard, which he quickly quelled, the Blazers were entering one of their most important seasons in recent franchise history.
Lillard said all the right things to quiet any whispers of a potential trade demand and said he was all-in on another Blazers season. However, two weeks into the season, his on-the-court play is possibly saying the complete opposite.
Lillard is off to one of his worst statistical starts in recent history and it has to be at least a bit concerning for the Blazers. Not only because it has the Blazers off to an uneven 3-4 start to the year, but throws another wrench in Lillard’s future.
The true question is, however, is whether or not this start to the season is taking place subconsciously or not. In other words, is Lillard’s slow start a product of him not truly being there 100 percent mentally?
I’m not questioning his mentality heading into this season, but you can’t help but wonder if all the distraction from the offseason has taken a toll on him – and perhaps the rest of the team.
Through the first seven games of the season, Lillard is averaging 18.6 points on 35 percent shooting from the field and 23 percent shooting from the 3-point range – those would be career lows across the board if this trend continues.
The likelihood of this cold-shooting trend continuing for Lillard for the remainder of the season is quite low. In fact, it would be the surprise of the year if it did. However, at least to a certain extent, you’d have to imagine that the offseason of uncertainty has to have at least some level of impact on his start to the season.
The Blazers’ start to the season is quite concerning. However, there could perhaps be so much more at stake if Lillard can’t turn his cold shooting around either.
Lillard said he believes in the team before the season. But what if the team, as a whole, takes a significant step back in the Western Conference this season? All bets would be off. And both the Blazers and Lillard could be headed for, perhaps, another uncertain offseason.