Where Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum rank among the best backcourts
By Erris Brown
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are the tallest task for opposing teams when it comes to dynamic guard duos. Here’s how they matchup against the league’s top opposing backcourts.
The final score was 129-95 in a matchup that transpired in Rip City, where the Portland Trail Blazers added another tally to the win column in one of the most prolific slaughterings of the season. It was a thrilling display of dominance in a victory over one of the Eastern Conference’s top threats in the Philadelphia 76ers, making the Blazers 21-16 and elevating them to the 7-seed in the stout Western Conference.
The 34-point victory came over a Philadelphia squad that sits fourth in the East and holds a top 10 spot in the league with a 23-14 record. Although arguably the league’s best center Joel Embiid was missing in action for the Sixers, it was going to take a solid performance from a Blazers star duo to lead them past two likely All-Stars that still remained on the court for the opposition in Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler. They would get a stellar performance from CJ McCollum, who led the way with a game-high 35 points.
Despite defeat one night prior to split a home-and-home with the two-time reigning NBA champions, it was Damian Lillard who led the way with his own showcase against the Golden State Warriors, notching 40 points on 14-of-23 shooting in a 10-point loss at the Moda Center.
To Portland fans, the two mentioned names are the current pride of the franchise, and around the league everyone is aware of the biggest threat the Blazers introduce in competition — the threat of their dynamic backcourt duo.
With McCollum’s volume scoring ability leading him to multiple seasons averaging 20 points per game, paired with his superstar backcourt partner, it is known league-wide that Portland boasts one of the most cerebral 1-2 punches at the point guard and shooting guard positions. But with so many killer backcourts in the league, where do Dame and CJ rank amongst the pack, particularly the elite backcourts in the association?