1. Damian Lillard
The Portland Trail Blazers — from the front office to the coaching staff to the players — will collectively feel the pressure to match or top last season’s third place finish in the Western Conference. However, the bulk of that pressure ultimately falls on Damian Lillard, the face of the franchise.
Lillard’s 26.9 points, 6.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game were instrumental in helping the Blazers ascend to the heights of the crowded conference. As in previous seasons, he showed he was capable of producing so much offense for a team that struggled to create much of its own without him. Lillard accounted for 22.7 percent of Rip City’s points and 30.1 percent of its assists in 2017-18.
In 2019, Lillard will remain the key that unlocks Portland’s success. The pressure is on him to have another All-NBA-level season. The front office has attempted to add some pieces to ease the burden, but in the end, the Blazers will only go as far as Dame takes them.
Damian Lillard has the demeanor to willingly overcome the pressure, but that won’t make the marathon that is the NBA season any less challenging. If he can at least match his numbers from last season, the Portland Trail Blazers will find themselves entrenched in the playoff picture all year long.