The small high school student in the center of the photo, only 1 meter 57 tall, thin and still has a childish smile on his face, and his teammate Costa Kufos contrasts with him.
At that time, the particularly short guard did not give up on himself, relying on harder hard work and the height of the latecomer, not only to survive in the NBA, but even to become the signature star of the first-tier playoff team, he is C.J. McClum, who has just renewed his contract with the Blazers. In the face of this somewhat embarrassing history, McClum himself is not only not afraid of being asked, but especially likes to mention it, perhaps every time the team loses, this experience reminds him to work harder.
The time turned to the summer of 2015, when LaMarcus Aldridge, who had been rumored to be at odds with the team, jumped to the Spurs in the free market, and the remaining four starters also left the team, replaced by a group of unproven young players, when the sports media lamented the sadness of the small market team and announced that the Blazers were about to enter the rebuild. But at this time, the 24-year-old Lillard stepped forward, as if breaking everyone's doubts in the 2012-2013 season to win the best newcomer award, he once again let the media break the glasses, with more than 50% winning rate to lead the team to the playoffs, and beat the Clippers led by Doug Rivers.
Also doubted from childhood, the same university into the primary school, the same lack of spotlight attention, the same endless efforts to enter the draft lottery area, after entering the league also rely on hard training in the NBA's talented backcourt to become a star, with many similar points Lillard and McClem, how to cultivate a deep friendship, how does the Blazers coaching team use the deep relationship between the two to help the team on the training ground? All this must start from the day the two met.
In 2011, when Lillard and McQuelum were competing for Weber State University and Lehigh University respectively, both were in primary school at the time, needed to shoulder the responsibility of the team's scoring, similar background, played the same role in the team, the two have become the ncaa's scoring champions that week, especially McClem in the face of the traditional famous school Duke, handed over 30 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds data and became famous, although the two did not know each other at this time, but respect and appreciation have been born in the hearts of the two.
The following year, Lillard chose to enter the NBA and was selected by the Blazers with the sixth pick, when he was considered not talented enough, averaging more than 20 points and 7 assists in the first three games of his career, while averaging 18.4 points, 5.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in the first month. On the other hand, Mikelum, who went on to pursue a degree at university, also handed over a dominating statistic, averaging 23.9 points per game plus 52% of three-point shooting. However, in a game in January, McClum injured his left foot and announced that he was reimbursed for the season, and the sudden arrival of such bad news also made McClem extend a hand of friendship and ask Lillard, who had suffered similar injuries in college.
Lillard encouraged McClum to continue to train himself when he was injured and shared his first year of the NBA, and McClam encouraged Lillard to continue to be brave in the face of doubt and continue to deliver brilliant results on the court. Although they met for the first time in May after McClem confirmed his commitment to the NBA draft, and only text messages were sent via Twitter, these simple but profound exchanges were the solid foundation of their long-term friendship.
The Blazers then entered mccollum with the 10th pick that year, and to be honest, the Blazers were planning to trade, but they couldn't find a suitable candidate, and finally chose the most talented person on the card, Mike Lum. In the years that followed, they became each other's best friends and brothers. On the court, they may rarely give direct assists to each other, but when the opponent is caught in the bag, they will jump out to end the opponent, and when the opponent has a good performance that breaks the record, they will also generously give the ball to the opponent and let them achieve the night that belongs to their record. Off the field, like most teammates, they will eat and shop together, train together in Portland, inspire each other to grow, and the mother of the two has become friends because of her son's friendship.
In addition to training together, practicing defense and three-pointers together, the two will also ruthlessly correct each other's mistakes, urging each other to carry out normal training for weaknesses. In terms of treating young teammates, they take the lead in setting an example, finding places to practice around Portland in the off-season, arriving on the scene an hour early for personal practice at each official training time on the team, and taking the initiative to train with the coach one-on-one again and again after the end, this situation is rare in the NBA, and when the team leaders continue to "early to late" every day, other rookies will naturally follow, and everyone is convinced that hard training can make the team go further. As a result, in return, they not only broke into the playoffs for 6 consecutive years, but more importantly, they cultivated a good training ethos on the team, and the Blazers became one of the most developed teams in recent years.
Both men know that they have some of the qualities of a perfect point guard and that they have the top scoring tools they lack, so both of them are not shy about coaching each other, because they are convinced that only if both of them get better can the team go further after the season. In this era when the NBA is looking for friends to report to the group, this kind of deep friendship of mutual respect, mutual love for each other, and the growth of each other is really rare.
This summer, Lillard and McClam, who pursue loyalty and stability, made a decision that made Portland fans happy, and reached a contract extension with Kai Post to ensure that the Blazers will continue to compete in the playoffs. The two are about to spend 11 years with the city, and maybe even spend their entire careers in Portland, and we can't help but ask, can Lillard and McClam lead the Blazers to the Finals and even back to the Champions League?