Hardships and Injuries Couldn't Keep Damian Lillard from the NBA Draft

In just his sophomore season, Weber State point guard Damian Lillard scored 19.9 points per game and was named the Big Sky Conference MVP while leading the Wildcats to their second-straight conference title.

His future was certainly bright.

But just nine games into his junior season, Lillard suffered a nasty foot injury and was forced to miss the rest of the season.

He wasn’t about to let a bad wheel slow him down, though.

“If running and jumping were out,” said Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune, “lifting weights and watching videotapes were in. Lillard spent four or five days a week in the weight room and considerable time in the film room, studying all 71 games he had played for the Wildcats. The results are noticeable.”

It appears that the work during his injury paid off because Lillard returned to the Wildcats with a vengeance.

Lillard, who was granted a medical redshirt for his junior season, increased every one of his stats in the 2011-12 season.

The 6-foot-3 point guard averaged 24.5 points, five rebounds, four assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 46 percent from the field, 41 percent from deep, and 89 percent from the free-throw line.

Despite missing almost an entire year, rust was far from a factor as he established himself as arguably the best point guard in the country.

Now with the NBA draft approaching, Lillard is commonly looked at as the best available point guard and a guaranteed Top-15—if not Top-10—pick.

What a wild ride it has been for the kid from Oakland, Calif.

To come back from a season-ending foot injury is one thing, but to come back with the explosion and quickness that Lillard displayed this season is even more impressive.

But not only was he able to retain the all-important speed a point guard needs, he intelligently used his time off to improve his basketball IQ and strengthen his upper body. While lots of people would have sulked in Lillard’s situation, he saw it as an opportunity to get better.

“I appreciate (basketball) a lot more,” Lillard said, “because it can be taken away from you so fast.”

It wasn’t always all smiles and optimism, however. One of the biggest disappointments, said Lillard about his injury, was the fact he didn’t get to match up with Jimmer Fredette and BYU.

Don’t worry, Damian. You’ll get to play against him next year when you’re in the NBA. 

Presented by MetLife. I Can Do This.