Damian Lillard Is A Serious MVP Candidate

There seems to be a lot of players currently in the running for the MVP award, being one of the more wide-open award races in recent memory.

Stephen Curry, James Harden and Anthony Davis, just to name a few, have all had fantastic seasons for their respective teams and have solidified themselves as favorites at this point.

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However, don’t rule out the Portland Trail Blazers‘ very own Damian Lillard.

I know, I know, how can someone who didn’t even make his conference’s All-Star team be in the conversation as one of the league’s most valuable players?

Well, Lillard has arguably meant more to his team than any other guard in the entire NBA.

Lillard does everything he is asked to do in terms of running Portland’s offense and then some. Whether it be scoring or playmaking, Lillard does everything at an efficient rate. The Trail Blazers have been humming on offense, on pace to finish as a top-ten offense in terms of both points per game and overall efficiency.

Yes, forward LaMarcus Aldridge has a lot to do with that himself being the low-post mismatch that he is with his legitimate mid-range game, but Lillard is the other half of the equation, and has proved himself to be the most important piece to this offense.

Even though Aldridge has been as much of a scorer this season as Lillard, it is not Aldridge who sets the tone from start to finish. And I do mean start to finish.

Lillard comes out of the gate looking to get buckets, putting his fearlessness on display against everyone in the NBA. No matter who is guarding him, Lillard goes after his opponent and isn’t afraid to rise and fire over anyone.

Down the stretch, Lillard is the go-to option on offense, not Aldrige. In fact, Lillard is leading the league in fourth quarter points scored, and has hit quite a good number of important shots late it games over the past few months.

Lillard loves to shine bright on the biggest stages, and makes his presence felt when games come down to the wire. Right now, there is no other player that is more clutch than Lillard, and that goes a long way in my opinion when determining who deserves to be the MVP.

When I think of the criteria for being the most valuable player, I think of someone who you can count on the entire game. No matter what is going on, no matter the situation, this player will show up when it matters and give everything he’s got to get his team the win.

Even though all four quarters of a basketball game are important, it’s ultimately how you finish that generally determines the outcomes of games. Lillard gets his team started, and he finishes the job when he has to. The MVP has to be a closer of the highest order, and Lillard fits that bill perfectly.

In case his 21.6 points and 6.3 assists per game aren’t good enough to impress voters, him being left off of the Western Conference’s All-Star team will be plenty of motivation for Lillard to improve as the season goes on. There may be no other player more motivated to prove what he’s worth right now than Lillard.

If I were in the league right now, I wouldn’t want to go up against someone as angry and determined as Lillard.

Make no mistake, Lillard may be closer to winning the MVP award than being an All-Star, and deservingly so. He’s been the most important player in games for his team. Without him, the Trail Blazers would have certainly lost a lot more close games than they have.

Lillard may be a dark horse for the award right now, but that’s going to change a little later in the year. We haven’t seen the last of Lillard, not by a long shot.

*Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.

Next: Damian Lillard: 2015's Biggest All-Star Snub

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