Trail Blazers superstar point guard Damian Lillard was the talk of the league, after a string of torrid scoring performances, including a 50-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers. But when asked to explain his success, his answers had little to do with basketball. While speaking to a reporter, Lillard referenced a recent extended family outing focused around his eleven-year-old nephew’s birthday party:

Our family is always going to be there. The stuff that affects us in our personal lives is always going to be there. I think regardless of where I am in my career, that’s the stuff that I really care about and that’s the stuff that makes me feel my best personally. When you’re taking care of that, it just creates a better balance. When you come back to basketball, you’re able to function better, do things with a clearer mind.

As a team, the Trail Blazers have significantly underperformed relative to expectations. Lillard says in earlier years, a stretch of similarly bad play might’ve led him to turn inward, obsessively working out, or watching game film. This year, he instead made a dedicated effort to reach outside of himself, spend more time with friends and family, and attend church and chapel services. He said, “It’s just focusing on it, really working on that part of it ... figuring out what fills me up, what makes me feel good about myself, just as a person. It has an impact on what I do on the floor.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Excellence in any vocation can only be healthy in a proper context of a balanced perspective; otherwise, the line blurs between excellence and obsession.

Source:

Jamie Goldberg, “With a clearer mind, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard is enjoying historic scoring stretch,” The Oregonian (2-3-20)