Damian Lillard and DeMar DeRozan are two of the purists within their rights. Lillard is known for his unmatched ability to heat-check at any point in the game. On the other hand, DeRozan, with his footwork and spots, battles the three-point-heavy league through the mid-range. While their areas on the court are different, stardom, flashes, and challenges pit the two in the same light.

With that, on the Chicago Bulls star’s podcast, Lillard and DeRozan spoke about mental health and the challenges that the NBA season brings forth. “Certain things that you just can’t prepare for,” Lillard initiated in light of injuries, team struggles, locker room challenges, and other things out of one’s control. With that, Lillard claims that the media fails to capture the essence of ultimate reality; possible off-court reasons. As Lillard claims that his unbridged narrative can hinder a player’s mindset, he reflects on his 2018 NBA season.

Despite having a consistent season, Lillard cites that his multiple injuries during the season surfaced deep into the playoffs; marking a bad series. With that, he says, “There was so much happening in my life at that time that they [media] just didn’t know.” Moreover, talking about voicing his reasons to the public, he puts another challenging narrative by saying, “And I could never defend myself for it or it would have been like it’s an excuse.”

Radiating media’s stance for dismissal of players’ opinions, he said, “They don’t want to hear nothing else. Nothing else matters.” Ultimately, Dame regarded it is one of the toughest things to deal with all season long.

Being in the league for over a decade, Dame advises to take everything with a pinch of salt. Moreover, he roots to find a balance within oneself in order to thrive over the challenging media junctures.

Looking back at Damian Lillard’s 2018 playoffs

The 2018-19 season playoffs posed a significant challenge in the first round for Lillard. The Portland Trail Blazers faced the Oklahoma City Thunder, after being seeped by them in the season series. However, Lillard came through. Shooting more than 10 threes a game (near 50% efficiency), Lillard racked an average of 33 points per game in the series; ultimately cruising to next round behind a 50 point performance.

As the team traveled to Denver, signs of wear and tear begand showing in his form. His effeciency dropped significantly, as the 7 game series saw Dame shooting less than 34% from three 6 times. However, as the Blazers managed to advance, they faced the streaking Golden State Warriors.

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Throughout the season, Dame suffered through an elbow injury, multiple ankle sprain, strained right calf, and knee issues. As a result, his performance dropped even more in the Conference Finals, forcing him to average just 22.3 points on less than 38% shooting in the clean sweep.