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Is C.J. McCollum Better Than Damian Lillard?

By Perry Waggoner

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Damian Lillard’s star isn’t necessarily fading, but another player is beginning to burn brighter.

As the buzzer sounded throughout the Pepsi Center, a rejuvenated Trail Blazers squad left the court with a 112-106 victory over the Nuggets. In what presumably was going to be a treacherous journey without star point guard Damian Lillard, the leftover cast had surprisingly weathered the storm. At the end of Lillard’s seven game hiatus Portland had accumulated a record of 4-3 . There is no doubt that the catalyst to their success was the front runner for Most Improved Player, CJ McCollum. Now that we’ve caught a glimpse at what he can do without Lillard by his side, it poses the question: Is CJ McCollum better than Damian Lillard?

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First, take a look at what McCollum did with Lillard sidelined. In those seven games (in which McCollum played 6), he averaged 26.0 PPG/6.5 APG/5.5 RPG. When comparing that to the entire NBA, only two other players average over 26 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. That list is: Stephen Curry and James Harden. That means that with Lillard out, McCollum outplayed the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook. This also means that he has entered into elite company.

What’s even more impressive, is that McCollum was able to do this without a very strong supporting cast. There was no Klay Thompson to pass to out of double teams, or a Dwight Howard to throw an alleyoop to. It was simply CJ versus the opponent’s entire defense. It’s not as if he did it against subpar teams either, as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz are both in the top five in opponents points per game. Also, it is worth noting that with Lillard, Portland’s winning percentage was at .367% (11-19). In the six games where McCollum lead the team, their percentage was an encouraging .667% (4-2). To put that in perspective, a .667 winning percentage on the season would put the Trail Blazers in the No. 4 seed as it stands right now. So, with the star Blazer in a blazer, McCollum stepped up and played like the MVP of the league. Now, let’s examine the two time all-star, Damian Lillard.

McCollum was able to do this without a very strong supporting cast. There was no Klay Thompson to pass to out of double teams…

Although Lillard hasn’t played a single game without McCollum in the lineup (until last night), he did do eleven games without LaMarcus Aldridge last season. In those eleven contests, Lillard averaged 24.8 PPG/6.0 APG/4.5 RPG. All of those numbers are lower than McCollum’s averages over the six game vacancy. To add insult to injury, compared to McCollum’s 4-2 record, Lillard led a much better squad to a record of 3-8. That means that out of Portland’s 31 losses last year, over a fourth of them occurred when Aldridge was out and the other all-star was handed the keys to the car.

Jan 4, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) jumps toward the basket in between Memphis Grizzlies guard Mario Chalmers (6) and forward Jeff Green (32) at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 4, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) jumps toward the basket in between Memphis Grizzlies guard Mario Chalmers (6) and forward Jeff Green (32) at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /

Let me also remind you, that out of those eleven games only four teams had winning records. In fact, the average conference standings positions of those eleven teams was just 8.2. For a team that finished 4th in the West, almost all of those games were winnable. We have now seen what Lillard and McCollum can do when their 20+ point scoring sidekick isn’t around. So, who has the edge?

There is one thing that Lillard will always have over McCollum. From the loudest cheer during player announcement at Moda Center, to the numerous commercials with countless celebrities, to the lucrative shoe deals, Lillard is clearly the more popular and/or marketable player. What this means is that Lillard will always be perceived as better. When you go to a book store, you assume that the books in the front with their own display are the best in the whole place. It’s human nature. Yet, that doesn’t mean their aren’t books in the store that are just as good, if not better than the ones selected for everyone to see. McCollum needs to understand that and embrace it, or he will face the same jealousy that ate at Aldridge. Although they are in different chapters of their careers, the Trail Blazers will need both Lillard and McCollum to turn the page on a rocky first part of the year, and lead this team to the playoffs.