Damian Lillard: 'My Confidence Ain't Great' That NBA Players Follow Bubble Rules

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has been in the NBA long enough to understand how players conduct themselves off the court.  

It's that knowledge that has him concerned about the NBA's plan to create a bubble environment at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on the Disney World campus in Orlando, Florida. While the league has provided plenty of guidelines, Lillard told ESPN's Royce Young the rules put in place are unlikely to be followed. 

"My confidence ain't great," Lillard said. "My confidence ain't great because you're telling me you're gonna have 22 teams full of players following all the rules? When we have 100 percent freedom, everybody don't follow all the rules. I don't have much confidence. But hopefully it'll be handled to a point where we're not putting everybody at risk or in a dangerous position."

There are already concerns about how safe the environment will be given the spike in positive cases of COVID-19 in Florida. According to the New York Times, Florida has seen more than 5,000 new cases each day since June 24 with a high of 9,585 positive tests confirmed on June 27.

NBA teams are expected to begin arriving in Orlando next Tuesday. Lillard understands the risks but feels secure with the league's plan.

"The fact that we're going to be in a bubble, it kind of knocks it down and limits the chance of us being exposed to everybody else outside the bubble in Orlando," he said. "I think it is a safer situation. But I don't think it's possible for them to protect us 100 percent. I think everybody's going there understanding that."

One of the people who will be traveling in and out of the bubble is NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who recently told Sean Gregory of Time he'll have access to a "backdoor" into the campus along with some Disney employees. 

As for Lillard, he plans on staying put as much as possible and has equipped himself with everything he needs to make himself feel at home:

"I know there're going to activities for us and all that stuff, but I mean, I'm gonna be chilling. I feel like there's still a possibility for something to spread within that bubble, just with so many people doing so many different things that we've got to follow to be safe, even though we're not exposed to the public. So for me, it's going to be: What time is practice, what time can I get in the weight room, what time can I get some shots up, what's the plan for game day. And then I'm gonna be in the room. I'm gonna have my PS3, my PS4, I'm gonna have my studio equipment, my mic, my laptop, I'm gonna have all my books. That's it, man. I'm gonna be in the room, chilling."

Whether Lillard's peers are willing to do the same is a defining question of the NBA's plan, one that will help determine the success of the venture.