Diving into the Portland Trail Blazers roster: Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard is undoubtedly the face of the Portland Trail Blazers.

When you think of the Portland Trail Blazers today, you think of Damian Lillard. The signature shoe deal with Adidas, the rap albums, the MVP-caliber season while leading his team to a third-seed in the Western conference. It’s safe to say Dame Dolla has cemented himself as one of the most elite figures in the NBA, but how did he get here?

After putting up a gaudy stat-line of 24.5 points, five rebounds, four assists, and 1.5 steals per game during his junior year at Weber State, Dame was selected 6th overall in the NBA draft by the Trail Blazers.

He never looked back. From here, he went on to win Rookie of the Year as he posted 19.0 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game.

Lilllard’s game has continued to grow over the years, as has his accolades: he is currently a three time All-Star (2014,2015,2018) and been selected for three All-NBA teams. (All-NBA Third Team in 2014, Second Team in 2016, and First Team in 2018).

Last season was his best one yet. He finished the year averaging 26.9 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game and led the Blazers to a home-court advantage in the Western Conference playoffs with a 49-33 record.

It’s safe to say Damian Lillard is a top-5 point guard in the league today, and I don’t think he’s fifth.

His career stats of 23.2 points, 6.2 assists, and his 4.1 rebounds per game are better than the likes of Kyrie Irving‘s 22.1, 5.5, and 3.5 – a guy lots of people like to put in the upper echelon of point guards.

Even last season when Kyrie had the keys to the Celtics offense, his 24.4 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game don’t compare to Lillard’s 2017-18 campaign.

As long as Dame Time is in full effect, the Blazers’ window for a title remains open.

What is Dame Time you ask? Damian is the heartbeat of this Blazers team, the team goes as he goes. When he is hot on offense, the team is virtually impossible – and it’s not just because he’s putting up insane shots and hitting them at a rate to where you think he’s turned up his game sliders.

Lillard is built from a different cloth. When the clock strikes Dame, he can still get his teammates involved. He takes what the opposing team gives him instead of forcing up shots just because he’s on fire. When a double team comes he’s thinking about the teammate the help defender has left open, and, only occasionally, how he can split the double team to score.

Think of it this way, Dame can get on fire and have an aggressive mindset of an Allen Iverson, but at the exact same time have a playmaking mindset of the Great John Stockton (shown by his career-high 59 points and 16 assists).

He’s a rare and beautiful combination of a killer and a playmaker. His teammates love him because of that trait, but that’s not the only reason.

The clutch gene. It’s no secret that Dame is one of the most clutch players in the game today. Hence the nickname Dame-Time. When the game is on the line, the guy with the letter O on his back plays his best.

When I think of Damian Lillard, I think of his series winning, buzzer beating, shot with 0.9 seconds left on the clock in round one of the 2013-14 playoffs against the Houston Rockets.

I fully expect Lillard to continue to improve just as he has in years past, keeping his name in the All-Star voting and MVP ballots.

If Portland can surround other great players around Lillard, like CJ McCollum, there is a strong chance for them to continue to compete in the West and bring Rip City its second NBA title.