Damian Lillard has made it no secret that he wants to stay a member of the Portland Trail Blazers for the duration of his career. In this era of player empowerment, Lillard has stood out from the rest in his steadfast desire to stick it out with his team no matter what. The ultimate goal for any player is to win a championship, and Lillard was honest in his assessment of the Blazers roster via Michael Scotto of Hoopshype.com.

“I think we can be a championship team. We’ve got a good mix of veterans with experience and young talented guys. Right now in the league, that’s who you’re seeing are the most successful teams,” Lillard said. “It’s no longer look at this super team over here. It’s who’s got the talent, who can get up and down and score, who’s fearless, who defends, who has experience and leadership? It’s all of those things that give you a shot to be one of those final teams. You’re seeing it across the league, and I think we fall into that category.”

Damian Lillard’s assessment might not be too far off when looking at the Blazers roster. The team isn’t a super team by any stretch of the imagination, but they have a nice mix of veterans and young players. Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe have emerged this season as explosive young players. Jerami Grant has proven to be an incredible pickup. Justice Winslow is an invaluable veteran. Jusuf Nurkic is his usual double-double self. And of course, there’s Lillard himself.

After starting out the season red-hot, the Blazers have since cooled off and are now 11-11. But perhaps Lillard is on to something in terms of roster construction for a potential championship team.