Aug
31
Eddie Johnson Picks Damian Lillard For Rookie Of The Year
By caseyholdahl Posted in: damianlillard
You can assume that Eddie Johnson, who played 17 season, has seen pretty much everything there is to see when it comes to the NBA. So when Johnson, the 1988-89 NBA Sixth Man of the Year,
picks Damian Lillard as one of ten "impact" players for the upcoming season, that means something (at least as much as a preseason prediction can "mean something"). And since Lillard is the only rookie to make his "impact" player list, it makes sense Johnson would go all-in on the prediction front.
9. Damian Lillard, Portland
I must admit that I have a hard time giving a player any juice before he actually shows me something, but there's something about Lillard that tells me he's going to explode. I love the fact that a top-quality player stayed at a school (Weber State) that was out of the spotlight and low on the totem pole, but still was found by NBA scouts. That tells me Lillard can ball. In the summer league, he showed glimpses of what could come next. Portland is the perfect situation for him, a place where he'll receive a green light to go. I love his tenacity, scoring ability and physical presence. I am picking him right now as favorite to win Rookie of the Year in 2013.
(Emphasis mine)
A few NBA pundits have
given Lillard a shot at winning ROY despite Anthony Davis being the prohibitive favorite, but as far as I know, Johnson is the only guy who has picked Dame to win the thing outright.