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Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard has been arguably NBA’s most clutch scorer in 2020-21

Marlow Ferguson Jr.|
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 28: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers celebrates his basket with a foul with CJ McCollum #3, as Montrezl Harrell #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts, during a 115-107 Trail Blaizer win at Staples Center on December 28, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 28: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers celebrates his basket with a foul with CJ McCollum #3, as Montrezl Harrell #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts, during a 115-107 Trail Blaizer win at Staples Center on December 28, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

You’d have to be living under a comfortable rock to not be conscious of Damian Lillard and his reputation as one of the NBA’s most cerebral late-game assassins.

Yet somehow, over the early portions of the 2020-21 season, the Portland Trail Blazers star has found a way to elevate even beyond normalcy.

As noted on Twitter by Elijah Matheson, Lillard ranks No. 3 among scorers in terms of raw points. But it’s the percentage he’s doing it on that is perhaps the most inhumane.

Lillard is hitting his shots in the clutch —defined as “ahead or behind by five or fewer points, with five or fewer minutes to play — on an 86 percent true shooting percentage.

For those in need of a briefer, TS% takes into account shot attempts both from the field and from the free throw line, as well as points to account for every kind of score.

Damian Lillard has always been known as a late-game assassin. But this year, he’s taken his clutch efficiency to a different level.

This year, it’s been difficult to pick out a weakness in Lillard’s play down the stretch. His raw numbers read as follows: 44 points, 11-of-17 from the field, 3-of-7 from deep, and 19-of-19 from the free throw line.

Lillard’s competition for that arbitrary “most clutch” spot is steep. His adversary out in the Mile High has been lighting it up for the Denver Nuggets, as James Harden, dovetailing between two teams.

What makes Lillard’s case so special is that he’s doing it on lesser volume, which makes it more of a novelty.

The +/- statistic doesn’t always tell the entire story, but it can be a supporting number if used correctly. This year, Damian Lillard has a clutch +/- of (+29), which ranks higher than 37 of the 38 top scorers in crunch time. The only player with a higher one is Joel Embiid (+33).

That benefit has served the Portland Trail Blazers well thus far; they’ve gone 6-2 in games decided by single-digits, and part of that comes from the benefit of having a proven, dominant scorer who can take hold of a game when palms get sweaty.