Apr 29, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Portland Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard (0) drives around Memphis Grizzlies guard Nick Calathes (12) in game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Memphis defeated Portland 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers lost six of their core players this past summer in LaMarcus Aldridge (Spurs), Nicolas Batum (Hornets), Wesley Matthews (Mavericks), Arron Afflalo (Knicks), and Robin Lopez (Knicks). In just a few months, Portland went from perennial second-round playoff team when healthy, to becoming a mainstay in the lottery for the next few years. They’re the perfect example of NBA unpredictability.
Luckily for the Blazers organization and fans, NBA All-Star point guard Damian Lillard inked a 5-year, $120 million rookie-scale extension early on in free agency. Lillard is now entering a stage in his career that many other stars have been before: being the best player on a struggling team.
All the greats such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant had to go through struggling seasons as the clear-cut guy before or after garnering great success. It’s now Lillard’s turn to follow in their steps.
Portland is expected to be at the bottom of the Western Conference. That will most likely and is on the verge of becoming a no-brainer. What Lillard can do to at least alleviate the soon-to-be consistent losses is play like an MVP, which he did during the first-half of last season.
He’s surely capable of it, and it’ll be interesting to see how he plays on a roster influx. The two-time NBA All-Star averaged 21.0 points, 6.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game on a loaded roster. It’ll be interesting to see how he plays being the No. 1 option with a much greater workload.
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