Damian Lillard Declares for 2012 NBA Draft, Where Will He Land?

Throughout his career at Weber State, Damian Lillard lit up the scoreboard.

Now he will try to do the same in the NBA.

Lillard declared for the NBA draft on Tuesday, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The 6'3", 195-pound point guard out of Oakland was the first All-American ever to play in the Big Sky Conference and set single-season school records for points (784) and scoring average (24.5).

For the season, he averaged 24.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals, while shooting 46 percent from the field and 40 percent from downtown.

Lillard, who averaged 24 points in two CIT tournament games this year, is a potential lottery pick in the draft this year. He's more of a shoot-first point guard right now, and he needs to improve his court vision, but he's one of the most dynamic scorers in the draft and his quickness and athleticism allow him to penetrate the lane with the best of them.

Most draft experts have Lillard going to the Utah Jazz, who are in dire need of a star point guard after Deron Williams left town. I would tend to agree with that. The Jazz currently have the No. 9 overall pick in the draft, via a trade with the Golden State Warriors. However, the pick is top-seven protected, meaning if the Warriors finish in the bottom seven of the league, they get to keep the draft pick.

If the Jazz lose their draft pick this year, I could see Lillard going to the New Orleans Hornets, who are in a similar situation as the Jazz. After losing Chris Paul, the Hornets are looking for their next point guard of the future. The Hornets currently own the No. 12 overall pick in the draft.

Lillard needs some grooming in order to become more of a pure point guard, but his upside is through the roof and he has no character concerns to speak of, with numerous teammates and coaches praising his attitude and demeanor while he was at Weber State.

If the Jazz keep their draft pick, expect them to grab Lillard and walk away with a gem.

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