Portland Trail Blazers: 3 goals for Damian Lillard in 2018-19
1. Maintain his MVP-caliber production
Lillard’s amazing play last season did not go unnoticed. He finished fourth in the voting for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, placing behind LeBron James, Anthony Davis and eventual winner James Harden.
That’s a particularly big deal because 2018 was a year where the competition was tight. Players such as Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetkounmpo and Russell Westbrook (who averaged a triple-double again in 2018) also played at such a high-level.
At 28 years old, you can argue that Lillard is currently in his prime, and Portland is going to need more of this All-NBA, MVP-caliber production if it wants to stay competitive in the Western Conference.
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Granted, expecting someone to keep playing at the level Lillard has over the past two seasons feels like a big ask. However, with Portland’s front office making less flashy transactions than other teams in the conference, the onus for improvement is on the returning players. Luckily for Blazer Nation, Damian Lillard has shown during his time in Rip City that he is always willing to rise to the challenge.