Kevin Pelton, SUPERSONICS.COM
Undrafted in the 2004 NBA Draft,
Damien Wilkins hooked on with the Sonics in time for their entry in the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league. Wilkins emerged as one of the stars of that team, leading the Sonics summer leaguers in scoring at 15.3 points per game, good for fifth in the Revue, and averaging 2.0 steals per game (also fifth-best in the Revue).
Wilkins' performance earned him an invitation to training camp, and he quickly made it impossible for the Sonics to cut him. Taking advantage of injuries to 
Ray Allen, 
Rashard Lewis and 
Ronald "Flip" Murray during preseason play, he scored 17 points in two different preseason games and averaged 8.3 points per game overall.
When the Sonics made their final cuts on October 28, Wilkins officially made the team. "That was a very proud moment," he said the next day. "The relief – it was like I lost a hundred pounds because it feels like so much weight was lifted off of me at that time."
With Murray still sidelined, Wilkins opened the year in the rotation, scoring three points and grabbing four boards in his NBA debut on Opening Night. When the Sonics began using Antonio Daniels and 
Luke Ridnour in the backcourt together, however, Wilkins lost his spot. He played only sparingly through December 11, when he was placed on the injured list with patella tendinitis in his right knee.
Wilkins would not get another opportunity until injuries struck again in late March. He was activated on March 18, when 
Vladimir Radmanovic was lost for the season with a stress fracture in his right fibula. Two nights later in L.A., Allen suffered a sprained ankle. That forced Wilkins into action, and he responded with a strong defensive effort in his 15 minutes.
Allen returned for the Storm's March 24 game in Portland, but Lewis was limited to 10 minutes by tendinitis. Wilkins made the most of this opportunity, scoring a career-high 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Wilkins scored the last seven points of the game, including a go-ahead 3-pointer, and his steal late in the game sealed a Sonics victory.
Remarkably, Wilkins played just six minutes the following night against New York. When Lewis went out for an extended period with a bone bruise in his right foot, however, Wilkins got his chance. In Memphis, he had 13 points and forced a turnover late in the game to key a Sonics win. On April 1, he made his first career start against Portland and scored 17 points in the Sonics victory. With Lewis and Radmanovic both out of the lineup, the Sonics struggled, but through no fault of Wilkins. He had 20 points in Sacramento on April 5 and scored double-figures five times in his seven starts.
With the Sonics healthy again for their First Round playoffs matchup with Sacramento, Wilkins returned to the bench, playing only 10 minutes in the series. He would be needed again in the Western Conference Semifinals against San Antonio when Radmanovic badly sprained an ankle and Lewis later was sidelined by a sprained left big toe. Wilkins responded, giving the Sonics 15 points, six rebounds and five steals in their surprising Game 4 win.
For the series against San Antonio, Wilkins averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists, improving on his regular-season production of 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. That performance was even more impressive given the way Wilkins stepped up time and again when needed by the Sonics. Equally impressive was Wilkins' improvement over the course of the season, a product of the long hours of hard work he put in after practices. Wilkins started the year as an undrafted free agent, but he finished it with a long NBA career evidently in front of him.
2004-05 Highlights:
Scored a career-high 21 points at Portland on 3/24.
Scored 17 points on 4/1 vs. Portland in his first NBA start.
Scored 20 points at Sacramento on 4/5.
Scored double-figures eight times
Scored 15 points, had six rebounds and five steals in Game 4 win vs. San Antonio on 5/15.
SUPERSONICS.COM Player of the Week:
Mar. 21-27
