The Portland Trail Blazers nab Weber State point guard Damian Lillard with the sixth overall pick in the latest mock draft from ESPN's Chad Ford. For a player that wasn't even considered a lottery pick at one point, it's been quite the ride up draft boards over the past few months for Lillard. Here is Ford's take:
If [UConn's Andre] Drummond falls here, I think they take him. But if he doesn't, I'm hearing Lillard could be the man. He wowed at the draft combine and measured very similar in size and athletic ability to Derrick Rose. While Lillard isn't nearly the same prospect as Rose, the Blazers need a point guard and Lillard has the potential to be very, very good. Taking him at No. 6 is no longer a reach. Harrison Barnes and Jeremy Lamb would also be in the mix here.
Obviously that's quite the comparison, and even with the qualifications that Ford offers, it's a testament to the kind of athlete that Lillard is. It remains to be seen whether he'll be able to adjust to the NBA game, but at the moment there isn't a better point guard prospect in this draft.
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