Rip City Project
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Northwest Division: Top Five Players

By Perry Waggoner

Apr 29, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) hugs guard CJ McCollum (3) after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 106-103 in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 29, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) hugs guard CJ McCollum (3) after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 106-103 in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 10, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates after hitting a three point shot during the fourth quarter of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Blazers won the game 115-110. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates after hitting a three point shot during the fourth quarter of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Blazers won the game 115-110. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /

#2: Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)

Career Stats: 21.4 PPG / 6.3 APG / 3.8 RPG

Coming in at number two, Portland’s own Damian Lillard. His spot on the list makes the Trail Blazers the only team in the division to have two players in the top five rankings. Forget the fact that he went to the tiny Weber State. Forget the fact that five players were drafted ahead of him in 2012. Forget the fact that he was reprehensibly left off the Western Conference All-Star roster this past season. Damian Lillard is a bonafide star who took Portland (and the world) by storm the minute he suited up in the red and black.

His defense leaves a lot to be desired, but you can’t ignore the impact he has on offense. Lillard was the sixth leading scorer in the NBA last year (25.1 PPG) and knocked down a career high 229 three pointers. His numbers have gone up each of his four seasons and there’s no reason to see why they won’t continue to get bigger. Enjoy the ride Rip City!

Next: Number One: Russell Westbrook