Why Ainge Might Be Interested in Damien Wilkins

 Heading into this season Damien Wilkins was considered a defensive stopper with limited offensive skills. Brought into Seattle as a free agent in 2004, Wilkins was told by Nate McMillan, coach of Seattle at the time, he could earn playing time by developing into a defensive stopper.

 Wilkins said working closely with assistant coaches Mark Bryant, Ralph Lewis and Brian Keefe has helped to improve his offensive skill set this season. Wilkins has scored in double-digits his past six games, including a 20-point performance in Seattle's lone win in the past three weeks against Portland. 

Wilkins is averaging 14 points and five rebounds in about 30 minutes a contest over those six games. The News Tribune Tacoma, WA April 1, 2008 "Ultimately, it's up to the person," said Damien Wilkins, one the team's best defenders, about improving Seattle's defensive performance. "I think defense is a mind-set.  

You have to take pride in not letting your man score. And either you have that pride or you don't. At the end of the day, you can draw up all of the schemes and do all of the talking that you want to do, but if you don't have a conscience about guarding someone, then defensively you're just not going to be there. So it's just a mind-set that I think you have to develop. It starts as individuals. We can't be a good defensive team if you're terrible as individuals."  

The News Tribune Tacoma, WA March 16, 2008 Swingman Damien Wilkins will be matched up defensively against Kobe Bryant most of the game. "(Damien) Wilkins is a real fine defender," Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson said. The News Tribune Tacoma, WA November 27, 2007 Also note that Dime Magazine and a fella known as Lex have questioned whether Lemon S'quisy has the physique to defend the power 3s of the league.