Coach Phil Beckner: Getting Damian Lillard from 50/50 Guy to Dame Time and Why Character, Work Ethic, and Accountability Matter

When Damian Lillard clicks into a higher gear in the fourth quarter and puts the Trailblazers’ opponent to the sword, he doesn’t need to say a word. Instead, the All-Star guard just points to an imaginary watch on his wrist, signifying that the world has just witnessed another captivating episode of Dame Time. This kind of courage under pressure isn’t possible because Lillard was born with what sports psychologist Dr. Jim Afremow calls “a Champion’s Mind gene.” It is a response honed during hundreds of hours spent practicing with Coach Phil Beckner each summer, a ritual the two have continued ever since they were at Weber State together.

Don’t Be a 50/50 Guy or Girl

Some skills trainers and coaches might be reticent to challenge a player of Lillard’s caliber. But Dame relentlessly pursues challenges in the same way that Michael Jordan did, so when Beckner calls him out, he uses it as fuel to raise his mental and physical performance.

“I kept calling Damian Lillard a 50/50 guy,” Beckner said. “I told him, ‘One day you come in here and work hard, and the next you don’t.’ He looked at me and said, ‘I don’t want to be a 50/50 guy anymore. I’m going to show you.’ Then he worked out hard for 37 days straight. On Sundays, I’d tell him, ‘I’m not training you today’ to try and get him to quit, but he was determined to prove me wrong and worked out by himself anyway. I’d hide up at the top of the bleachers and this cat would keep going until two in the morning. He’d just shoot and shoot and shoot.”

This wasn’t the end of Lillard’s development curve under Beckner’s thoughtful yet relentless tutelage. When Lillard went through the worst slump of his career, he didn’t need platitudes or hollow affirmations, but rather someone to call BS and force him to level up.

“After every game in his slump, I texted Dame ‘NGE’ – not good enough,” Beckner said. “But it isn’t always the right moment for that. One time, we were on day four of training together in LA, and Dame had already been Rookie of the Year and an All-Star. He said to me, ‘Phil, can you tell me that I do anything good?’ I realized that I needed to be a better coach and leader.”

Beckner is a master at developing mindset as well as shooting, dribbling, and the other on-court skills players like Lillard need to go from being solid starters to perennial All-Stars and All-NBA selections (and in Dame’s case, one of the top 75 players in NBA history). But he also believes in tracking some simple numbers to ensure that his players are continually challenging themselves and progressing. For Dame, it was how many shots he made in each session.

“The first week, I think Dame had 250 makes a day. By week two, it was 350, and then 450. The fourth week he texted me, and it was 670. He told me his shoulder hurt, so we backed off a bit. Everyone thinks there’s this lightbulb that goes off for a player, but there is a habit to their growth. The sweet spot is knowing whether to get a kid to hit the gas or pump the brakes. That’s where the art of coaching comes in.”

Giving Back to Build Players, Coaches, and Leaders

As the most hyped player who might soon be on the move to a new NBA team, Dame is constantly the center of NBA rumors and news updates. He has millions of fans, enough money to support his whole family, and the reputation of being the most clutch player in basketball. Beckner has become a go-to resource for NBA and college players alike, and a mentor to up and coming coaches. But for Lillard and Beckner, who’ve worked together for over 12 years, it’s not about what they’ve got, but how they can give back. That’s why they teamed up for Formula Zero, a summer camp where they mentor the next generation of elite performers to grow on and off the court. Lillard tells the 20 high school prospects selected for the annual event, “We don’t want anything from you – we want everything for you.”

“The formula is based on three things: character, work ethic, and accountability,” Beckner said. “These have been the staples of Dame’s career, but it’s not just his thing. We’ve also got Raymond Young – who was Damian’s AAU coach and would sometimes kick him out of the gym – and Chris Farr, his pre-draft trainer who instilled a level of toughness and discipline in him. Here’s the level of leadership Dame is at. He stood up in front of all the players at the Formula Zero camp and said, ‘Guys, I’m not the formula – I’m just a product of it. Everyone can use it.’”

Tim Frazier’s Mental Toughness

If you ask hoop heads to name one player Phil Beckner trains, they’re immediately going to answer, “Damian Lillard.” But the generational star is only one of the thousands of players that Beckner has positively impacted. He gave the example of Tim Frazier, who played for seven NBA teams and is now plying his pro basketball trade in France.

“Not everyone could be Dame – they need to be a Tim Frazier,” he said. “Find a way to survive, find a way to be better, find a way to be different, and find a way to keep making it. He’s a poster child of resiliency and battling through things. When he was on a 10-day contract with the Blazers, Tim asked Dame if he could work out with him and learn from him. Dame replied, ‘If you can keep up.’ They still go at it in workouts, to the point that they’ve thrown the ball at each other. Everyone always asks me how they can get to Dame’s level, but more players need to try and become Tim Frazier.”

Prospects vs Pros

Phil believes that it’s easier to make it to the NBA but harder to stay in the League these days. So other than developing physical qualities like speed, power, and strength and working on skills such as shooting, ballhandling, and passing, how can a young athlete separate themselves from the competition? It comes down to acting like a pro, not just a prospect.

“The guys who last in the NBA are those who base everything they do daily on their convictions, mission, purpose, and ultimate goals,” Beckner said.

Another underrated difference maker for athletes and anyone who wants to live up to their full potential is to be very clear about where they’re heading. And then finding coaches and mentors who know the way and all the mile markers they need to hit on route to their destination.

“High clarity equals high performance,” Beckner said. “If you know where you're going, how you're supposed to get there, and when you're supposed to get there, you're gonna get there a lot more efficiently than the guy who just has some vague instructions. Sit there and determine who you want to become and what you want to be known for. This will outweigh just going with your emotions when things get really tough.”

Being Basketball Strong

Phil has seen firsthand what strong looks like on the basketball court and in life, watching how the hard work he does in the offseason with the likes of Lillard, Frazier, Cam Johnson, and Mikal Bridges (who has missed the least games of any NBA player over the past five years) pays off come playoff time. But he believes that every single person can use the same lessons and principles to reach their full potential, whether they’re an athlete or not.

“Whenever you use the word strength, I go back to just that foundation of impacting people, improving performance, and trying to build from the ground up,” Beckner said. You need to condition your body to be able to shoot, guard, and perform at an extremely high and consistent level. You must also condition your mind to compete and be able to take a punch. If your mind is not conditioned, you're never going to be able to condition your body.”

Hear Phil’s full story in his full episode of The Basketball Strong Podcast. Like what you hear? Please rate, review, subscribe, and tell your friends about the show! Thanks in advance for your support.

Find out more about Phil’s basketball and coaching development programs at https://www.drivenbball.com and follow him on Twitter at @PhilBeckner