NBA Play-in Tournament: 5 players who could thrive in the play-in

2. Damian Lillard

The play-in tournament may only be entering its second season but Damian Lillard is already no stranger to the format, giving him a leg up should the Portland Trail Blazers fall any lower than the sixth seed they currently occupy — Dallas is just two games back.

Against the Grizzlies down in the bubble, Lillard was a perfect 14-of-14 from the free-throw line en route to 31 points along with 10 assists in a four-point victory.

Lillard’s reputation as one of the game’s most clutch players has only elevated this season. He’s tops in the league with a 5.0 scoring average in crunch time on 55.9 shooting from the field and has carried the Blazers through injuries to CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic to remain a picture in the Western Conference playoff picture.

It’s as if Lillard is at his best when stakes elevate. To get Portland to the play-in tournament last year, he had a five-game stretch with scoring totals of 45, 22, 51, 61 and 42.

The Blazers are undefeated this season when Lillard scores at least 40, which he has done five times, tied for most in the league. A player who can reach that mark as often as Lillard is bound to thrive in the type of context that typically brings out his best.