Damian Lillard Wins Rookie Of The Year

Damian Lillard won a unanimous vote for the Rookie of the Year award, the Trail Blazers have announced (Twitter link). The honor comes as no surprise, since Lillard swept this season's Rookie of the Month awards. The only drama involved whether Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal or anyone else would garner a first-place vote or two, but that didn't happen. Davis and Beal finished second and third, respectively. Lillard is just the fourth unanimous selection for the award, joining Ralph Sampson (1984), David Robinson (1990), and Blake Griffin (2011). 

The Blazers selected Lillard sixth overall last year, using a draft pick they acquired from the Nets at the trade deadline. The point guard from Weber State made an instant impression, averaging 26.5 points per game in four summer league contests. He put up 19.0 PPG during the regular season to finish second behind LaMarcus Aldridge on the team in scoring, and Lillard led the league in minutes played. He averaged 6.5 assists and 3.0 turnovers per contest, a ratio that proves there's still room for improvement.

Even so, Lillard is already one of the league's best bargains on his rookie-scale contract. He made just $3,065,040 this year, and his four-year deal is worth only $13,845,167

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