April 17, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) dribbles past Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) in the first half at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Here at Rip City Project, we will be releasing report cards for the Trail Blazers’ top rotational players over the next week or two. We’re going to lead off the series with two players Blazers fans have become very familiar with this season: point guards Damian Lillard and Eric Maynor.

Damian Lillard | #0 | Guard

The Blazers went through a tough season, and one that was at times difficult to watch as the team missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. The saving grace was the team’s 6th overall pick from Weber State, a point guard named Damian Lillard who worked hard to become the Rookie of the Year by unanimous vote.

Lillard was everything Blazers fans could have hoped for, and probably more. Offensively, he was the sweet-shooting star on the perimeter the Blazers haven’t had since Brandon Roy. Only one rookie came within one three-pointer made of Lillard’s 2.3 per-game mark (the Wizards’ Bradley Beal), and only the Cavaliers’ Dion Waiters came within five points of Lillard’s 19.0.  Assists? Lillard nearly doubled the rookie that finished in second place, averaging 6.5 to Alexey Shved’s 3.7.

Compared to Raymond Felton the season before, Lillard was a significant step up as he was able to score consistently and get the offense going. The Blazers don’t have many perimeter players that can create offense with the ball in their hands, but with Lillard fulfilling that role, their many shooters had space to work with. Lillard also proved to be a reliable closer in games for the Blazers, winning them a few in the final minute himself (Exhibit A, B).

Lillard did struggle somewhat with turnovers (3.0 per game) and efficiency (42.9% from the field). For a rookie with his workload, it’s not particularly surprising. Those are fixable problems that should wither as Lillard gains more experience.

All things considered, Damian Lillard put in a great rookie season for the Trail Blazers. It exceeded all expectations, and set a precedent for even greater seasons to come. It might not have been perfect, but certainly there wasn’t much more that could have been asked of him.

Grade: A

Apr 5, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Eric Maynor (6) drives to the basket against the Houston Rockets at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Maynor | #6 | Guard

Portland’s bench woes last season cannot be overstated, as they received inconsistent play from just about every bench player and finished in the bottom three of just about every bench statistic. At the trade deadline, the Blazers picked up Eric Maynor from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to Greek player Giorgos Printezis. In the 27 games that Maynor played for Portland, he was the closest thing they had all season to a reliable sixth man off the bench. He might have been the only consistent bright spot for the team when the starters checked out, and he proved to be a great addition at the deadline.

Maynor doesn’t identify much as a scorer, and it shows on his stat sheet. What he was able to do for Portland was run the offense when asked to, and make the right play within the system. Maynor’s 4.0 assists per game was an exceptional number given his playing time, and he helped to pace a second unit that had struggled heavily without him on offense. He was even able to knock down a three from time to time at a decent rate, which is about as much as could be asked for the career 35.4% shooter from beyond the arc.

Don’t mistake Maynor for a J.R. Smith-level player, however. Portland was desperate enough for bench help that they would gladly play Maynor, a competent and steady point guard, but his defense was a major weakness for the team. He regularly struggled to keep up with opposing point guards, and even by Portland’s low standards on that end of the floor this season, he was one of the Blazers’ worst defenders.

Maynor’s offensive impact was beneficial, but his defense was the very opposite. His impact as a pass-only point guard was limited, and he’s primarily a stopgap role player. Maynor’s contract expires after this season, and he will be a restricted free agent. It’s likely that he will be brought back, especially if Portland can get him on a cheap contract. However, it remains to be seen if he will be relied upon for 20+ minutes per game again. Certainly, he won’t be the Blazers’ best sub.

For now, consider this season to be a relatively good one from Maynor, and be grateful the Blazers were able to get him cheap. He had his flaws, but at the same time, he was a much-needed upgrade for Portland’s bench.

Grade: B-

@KevinYeungNBA | @ripcityproject

April 12, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) argues who the ball went off of during the fourth quarter of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Rose Garden. The Thunder won the game 106-90. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Brothers, Jermaine and Phil Ulinwa, accuse Damian Lillard of instigating a fight between themselves and Lillard’s entourage. The incident occurred at 2:30am on May 18^th as Damian was heading toward a parking lot with several other people. Jermaine reportedly took Damian’s picture, which the brothers say provoked him and his crew.

“Damian Lillard basically instigated it, because he actually looked like he was going to try to go up to my brother and start fighting him, and since he did that the rest of the guys started getting riled up too and they thought it was ok to just start fighting out of nowhere.” – Phil Ulinwa

Jermaine and Phil both have facial contusions, but neither were hospitalized. The Portland Trail Blazers have been made aware of the incident, and Damian Lillard has been cleared as a suspect.

Now, whether or not things happened exactly as the brothers say is up for debate. I will neither damn them for embellishment, nor let Lillard off the hypothetical hook. However; the alleged assault does raise an interesting dialogue about player/fan interaction.

If the incident happened as reported, with the normally mild mannered Lillard becoming irate due to the snap of a cell phone, then it is probably an overreaction on his part. Although a 24/7 spotlight can be trying at times, a certain level of composure is expected of NBA athletes.

However; if the brothers neglected to mention any harassment, the story becomes quite different. Their behavior has not been publicly documented from Lillard’s perspective. It could be that Lillard requested not to be photographed, but instead was bombarded by their persistent fandom.

We do not know what was said by whom, or have the full context of the situation. Regardless, assault is not an acceptable response. There appears to have been an abuse of public celebrity by Damian or an abuse of believed invulnerability by the brothers; more likely still, a mixture of both.

In a perfect world, fans would understand the players’ needs for boundaries and respect, and the players would understand the fans’ needs for appreciation and tolerance. A picture is worth a thousand words and this photo has some pointed ones flying.

@davidmackaypdx | @ripcityproject | davidmackaypdx@gmail.com

Feb 6, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) drives against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The voting has closed for the season-long Kia Community Assist Award, with Damian Lillard among 10 finalists. Damian received the monthly award for March in recognition of his efforts to stop bullying in schools. Lillard is being considered for the season-long award for spearheading Portland’s “Respect, Pass it on” campaign. The honor is given yearly to the player that the NBA feels best embodies the spirit of community.

Other finalists include Tyler Hansborough (Indiana), David Lee (Golden State), Zach Randolph (Memphis), Kevin Love (Minnesota), Tyson Chandler (New York), Deron Williams (Brooklyn), Dwyane Wade (Miami), Kenneth Faried (Denver), and Chris Paul (L.A.C.).

Although the monthly accolade has existed for some time, this is only the 2^nd season that the season-long award has been given. Last year, the Lakers’ Pau Gasol won the first ever season-long award for his above and beyond support of the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.

The winner of the award will receive a $25,000 donation from the NBA to the charity of their choice, as well as the David Robinson plaque which reads, “Following the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson who improved the community piece by piece.”

Given the vernal nature of the award, Lillard stands to become the first ever Portland Trail Blazer, and the first ever rookie, to receive it. There is stiff competition, but I patiently await the final tally.

@davidmackaypdx | @ripcityproject | davidmackaypdx@gmail.com