Damian Lillard's Epic Response To Shooting Struggles: "What Did The 9 Years Say To The 4 Games?"

Sports Illustrated

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With everything going on in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City, it's understandable if you haven't gotten to watch Damian Lillard and his Trail Blazers yet this season.

With new coach Chauncey Billups and a few new pieces to finish out the supporting cast, Portland did take some steps to improve their team over the summer, even if some believe they should have done more.

So far, though, the results haven't been all that great. Portland is 2-2 in their first four games, showing a lot of the same problems they've had for years now.

Most worrying, though, is the playoff Damian Lillard, who is shooting 33% from the field so far this season.

But amid all the noise and doubt, Dame had something to say about his performance, sending this 10-word tweet to the internet on Thursday.

There is no denying that Dame has not had a great start to this campaign, and that's putting it lightly. In fact, his performance is so bad, some are convinced that he's either hurt or is mentally checked out for one reason or another.

By now, Lillard is used to the adversity. He's been putting up with it for years as calls for him to leave Portland have grown louder.

"When I say that, I don't expect all times to be great times," said Dame. "Adversity is gonna hit. There's gonna be some tough times. If it start off rocky or it starts out with a struggle, I won't be happy about it, nobody will be. But I'm not gonna jump ship and bail out when that happens. That's an easy thing and a popular thing to say but it's not gonna happen.

I've seen it too, but I don't really pay it any mind. I think these days, when you push something over and over and over, I've seen it push people to that point, like 'Maybe that is what should happen.'

But I like our staff. I like Chauncey a lot. I love being a Trail Blazer. I love living in Portland. I love what I've built. Like I said on media day, I want to see it through. A rocky start might be a part of that, but I'm not gonna flip and do something different from what I've always done."

On paper, the Trail Blazers have everything they need to be a quality, contending basketball team.

But unless Dame plays at his best, the team will always fall short of their potential. They will only go as far as he takes them.