Damian Lillard: 2015’s Biggest All-Star Snub
There was certainly a lot of excitement built around the 2015 All-Star selections, as there always is for such a high-profile event. Being an All-Star means so much to professional athletes everywhere because it is a true recognition of what they have accomplished and all of the hard work they’ve put in to be successful.
What makes the All-Star Game sad is that not everyone can get in. Deserving players are left off of the teams every year because there are only so many spots available.
The most notable snub this year? The Portland Trail Blazers‘ Damian Lillard.
Lillard has been having one of the best seasons of any point guard in the NBA. On the season, Lillard is averaging 21.8 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting to go along with 6.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Some may look at Lillard’s shooting percentage as a concern in terms of how efficient of a scorer he really is, but those same people also tend to choose to ignore the quality of shots Lillard has to take late in the shot clock, the same shots that LaMarcus Aldridge also has to take more times than not, and his shooting percentages have also suffered because of it.
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Lillard is an absolute terror late in games, as he is not afraid of the big shot one bit. When the game is on the line, Lillard shows up and makes his presence felt, knocking down basket after basket until his team gets the win. Defensively, he also knows how to lock his man down late in the game in order to get that win.
Outside of maybe Chris Paul, there is no bigger competitor in the league at the point guard position that Lillard.
Similar to Stephen Curry, Lillard has unlimited range on his jump shot, allowing him to pull up for shots that many others wouldn’t dare take. Lillard has hit more three-point shots than most other players in the NBA, and he lets others know it by knocking them down regardless of how tight he’s being defended.
So why wasn’t Lillard selected to be a reserve for the Western Conference? Beats me.
DeMarcus Cousins was a worthy selection to replace Kobe Bryant, who is out for the rest of the season due to injury, as he has put up monster numbers for the Sacramento Kings and is a real difference maker in the post when he can stay on the court.
However, Lillard is just as important if not more than Cousins to the Trail Blazers because it is he who sets the tone on offense, even more than Aldridge. When Lillard comes out attacking and hitting shots, it gets the entire offense rolling because the defense has to key in on him taking perimeter shots.
This opens the game up for Aldridge and Wesley Matthews to go to work and get better looks at the basket.
Lillard means the world for Portland’s chances of winning a championship. Right now, the Blazers are the third-best team in arguably the toughest Western Conference the league has ever seen. It’s important to reward winning as much as individual performance, and Lillard has excelled at both this season.
The league is going to regret leaving Lillard out of the All-Star game this season. I hope Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook enjoy their time on the court in New York, because the next time they face Lillard, he’s going to let them have everything he’s got.
Look out NBA, Lillard is coming, and he’s going to show no mercy.
*Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.