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Portland Trail Blazers: 3 bold predictions for the 2022 NBA season

By Stevie Cozens

Jan 18, 2020; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) talks to forward Nassir Little (9) during a break in play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 18, 2020; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) talks to forward Nassir Little (9) during a break in play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports /
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Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /

Portland Trail Blazers Bold prediction #2 – Damian Lillard will win MVP

Regardless of what happens with the other players on the Blazers, people know that Dame will still have a massive season in 2022. He is the common denominator on a team that waxes and wanes in terms of form, consistency and production.

Dame is an elite scorer, and his 55-point epic in the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, showed that when he is hot, that he’s the best deep shooter in the NBA.

His combination of play-making and incredible shooting off the dribble makes him one of the best players in the game. But, because of the Blazers lack of team success, Dame has never finished higher than fourth in MVP voting. Amazingly, he finished 4th in MVP voting in 2017/18 before he even reached his peak as a player.

Keeping this in mind, if the Blazers can crack the 50 win mark in 2022, then Dame has a great chance to lift his first MVP trophy.

Because a lot of the top talent in the NBA sit on the same teams as other high-level players, it makes it hard for guys like LeBron James or Kevin Durant to get MVP.

It’s more likely that single-star teams like the Denevr Nuggets with Nikola Jokic, the Dallas Mavericks with Luka Doncic and Lillard with the Blazers, will lift the MVP trophy.

It’s very hard to have the level of production required for an MVP with another All-NBA player on your team.

Last season, Dame had the production and efficiency required of an MVP, but injuries to Jusuf Nurkic and CJ McCollum limited the Blazers to just the fifth seed and .583 record. This wasn’t a bad team season, but nowhere near good enough to be in top three MVP voting.

This season, with all their pieces fit, I think there’s a chance that Dame can get the Blazers to a top-three seed in the West and maybe a real shot at MVP. His counting numbers will be there, he will just rely on the fitness of his teammates and some upgrades on the defensive side of the ball with new coach Chauncey Billups.