8. Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trail Blazers
For a few weeks in last year’s postseason, it seemed possible that Damian Lillard could be moving on Stephen Curry’s territory as the league’s best point guard. Lillard’s Portland Trail Blazers reached the Western Conference Finals against a depleted Golden State Warriors team.
Curry and the Warriors proceeded to sweep Lillard, a four-game stretch that showed there is something the Blazers still lack.
A rough ending doesn’t diminish what Lillard did previously or since. The former Weber State phenom had a second walk-off series-ending shot when he launched from the logo against Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder. He and wingman C.J. McCollum willed the Blazers to the conference finals. This year he has kept his stats strong despite inconsistent team success.
That team success is what complicates Lillard’s case as a top-10 player. On the one hand he led a team to the conference fnals; on the other they have been significantly below .500 this season. If we absolve Lillard of the bad start on the one hand, he cannot receive the full measure of credit for the end of the last.
Boil the narrative away and Lillard’s stats speak for themselves. He is a gifted scorer and capable distributor, with an attitude and demeanor that brings teammates together and promotes positive chemistry and production. He is nearly the shooter that Stephen Curry is, rarely misses games to injury and has never missed the postseason since reaching his prime.
Lillard is not the very best player in the league, but he is close, and any analysis that pushes him too far away is most likely making an error in judgment.