"Same swag, same attitude, same energy": Damian Lillard saw Will Barton's ascension coming

Despite never cracking the 1,000-minute barrier in any of his three seasons in Portland, Will Barton was the Trail Blazers’ most dangerous player on the practice court.

“He was the leading scorer in our practices. It was him,” Trail Blazers All-Star point guard Damian Lillard told BSN Denver, reflecting on his former teammate who he spent three seasons with in Portland. “He used to go at Wes Matthews, go at Nic Batum. 360 lobs in practice. He was hoopin’ the whole time.”

Barton and Lillard were tied at the hip ever since the two were drafted 34 spots apart by the Trail Blazers in 2012. After Portland selected Lillard sixth overall and Barton 40th, the two met at a Trail Blazers’ press conference a few days after the draft. They went on to play at Summer League together, where Lillard averaged 26.5 points per game across four matchups, while Barton added 15 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in five Summer League games. Their two families, who were both in Portland at that time, became close.

From there, their two paths diverged in opposite directions. Lillard quickly became the face of the Trail Blazers’ franchise, while Barton was relegated to the end of Portland’s bench. But Barton, who Lillard fashions as a true playmaker and pseudo point guard, always made the most of his chances even in the fourth quarters of blowouts where most of his minutes would come.

“Every time he got in a game, when we were up 20, down 20, he would come out of the game with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists,” said Lillard. “The ‘Thrill’ that ya’ll see now, he was the same person back then. Same swag, same attitude, same energy. This didn’t just come out of nowhere. This is who he’s always been.”

It’s because of Barton’s play behind the scenes at Trail Blazers’ practices, and in the mop-up duty he got throughout the three seasons he spent in Portland, that Lillard isn’t surprised by the success his former teammate has found in Denver. Since coming to the Nuggets in 2015 as a part of a five-player trade, Barton quickly established himself as one of the league’s top sixth men, and last season as a quality starting small forward. Barton was rewarded for his play last summer when Denver inked the 28-year-old to a four-year contract worth more than $50 million to be its starting small forward.

Barton has missed most of the season after suffering a hip/core injury in Denver’s second game of the season but returned to its rotations Saturday in Phoenix. Soon, he’ll rejoin the Nuggets’ starting lineup, a status that seemed far fetched in Portland where Barton played behind a slew of veterans.

“Back then he was the same. The same Will you see now, you couldn’t tell him he wasn’t going to be the Will Barton that he is now. It was like, he just believed,” said Lillard. “I was always a big fan of him. I always would tell him ‘If you stay with it. I know it’s easier for me to say. I’m starting, I’m playing every game.’ He just wanted to play.

“But we were just deep. It’s tough when you’re a second round pick and you come into a playoff team where Wes Matthews is on a big contract, and he’s a vet a proven vet. Nic Batum’s a proven vet. Mo Williams is proven. Dorrell Wright is proven. Steve Blake is proven. All of the guys that we had. Sasha Pavlovic. We had so many people that were vets, guys who were making a lot of money so it was almost like wait your time. C.J. (McCollum) had to go through the same thing.”

In Denver, Barton is suddenly the veteran and the pulse of Denver’s locker room. Barton can bridge the gap between Paul Millsap, who at 33 years old is the wise man of the second-youngest roster in the league, and Jamal Murray, who at just 20 became Denver’s franchise point guard.

Barton can connect with all of his teammates, no matter what background they’re from. He’s the Kobe to Nikola Jokic’s Shaq, a dichotomy that was never more apparent than when the two sat side by side for a press conference shortly after signing their new contracts this summer. Barton, a Baltimore native, has also forged a tight-knit bond with rookie center Thomas Welsh, who hails from Southern California, already this season.

That’s what Lillard remembers most about Barton from his time in Portland. Barton could tie a locker room together but also when the going gets tough, he isn’t afraid to say what needs to be said. And as the Nuggets have breezed out to a 28-13 record entering Sunday’s matchup with Lillard’s Trail Blazers, they’ve still missed Barton’s presence in the locker room. Because when they do hit adversity, which will undoubtedly come for the top team in the Western Conference over the second half of the regular season, Denver will need Barton’s voice.

“Somebody like him can hold the locker room together because he’s just so genuine,” Lillard said. “He works hard. He ain’t scared to say something to somebody. He’s got good intentions. He’s about the team, you know what I’m saying? I think somebody like him, I can see him getting people to get in line and check themselves.”