Portland Trail Blazers: 2017-18 player grades for Damian Lillard

Strengths

Damian Lillard’s strengths were very apparent in 2017-18. His biggest calling card is his ability to score from almost anywhere on the court. He is adept at attacking the basket, using a mean first step to initiate 12.6 drives per game, which ranked 11th-most among players that played at least half of the season.

Lillard is also capable of knocking down the outside shot, converting 36.1 percent of his 3-pointers in 2018. Mind you, he doesn’t just take those shots while toeing the line. Lillard is able to hit them from great distances. He took 233 shot attempts between 27-35 feet from the basket, the most in the NBA in 2017-18. He converted on 33.5 percent of those shots.

Dame also wasn’t afraid to take over a game in the latter stages when the Blazers needed him. He attempted 182 shots in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or in overtime, eighth-most in the league. He converted 44 percent of them, 24th-best among players with at least 100 attempts.

However, Lillard was more than just a scorer. He was also a talented playmaker. His career-high 6.6 assists per game generated 1,109 total points, or 15.2 points per game, in 2017-18. Those assists were vital to keeping the Blazers’ offense in motion. Lillard was the team leader on a Portland squad that averaged a league-worst 19.5 dimes per game.