5. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
If it weren’t for the way the Portland Trail Blazers‘ season ended, Damian Lillard might be even higher on the list. Unfortunately, when your team gets swept in the first round as the 3-seed, while your numbers drop to 18.5 points, 4.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game on .352/.300/.882 shooting splits, this is high as you go.
Still, a four-game sample size against an elite defender like Jrue Holiday shouldn’t determine Lillard’s entire season, which is why it was good to see him earn All-NBA First Team honors. His 26.9 points, 6.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game on .439/.361/.916 shooting deserved no less.
The cries for Rip City to split up its star backcourt are overdone, but there should be no question this is Dame’s team. The 2018-19 season is about redemption, which sounds odd for a First Team All-NBAer…but also has us excited thinking about what he might accomplish with that kind of vengeance on his mind.