The Portland Trail Blazers need Damian Lillard to snap out of his funk

The Portland Trail Blazers need Damian Lillard to snap out of his funk quickly. 

When fans think of Damian Lillard, they think of game-winning 3’s, limitless range, and almost effortless scoring. During Dame Dolla’s most recent campaign, it seems the perennial All-NBA player has lost his touch as Lillard has been ice cold through the first 10 games of the season.

To say Lillard is struggling on offense would be an understatement. Lillard is currently shooting just 24.7 percent from 3 this year while attempting 9.7 a game. Down from Lillard’s career 3-point percentage of 37.3 percent.

Lillard is also shooting a career-low from the floor overall, posting a below-average percentage of 35.1 percent. This currently makes him one of the worst high-volume shooters in the league.

Shooting from the field overall is where Lillard’s offensive woes stop. Dame is still shooting a very high percentage from the free-throw line at 85.3 percent. Lillard is also finding open teammates and is currently averaging 8.5 assists a game, which would be a career-high if maintained.

Many have theorized this could be from the NBA not calling unnatural shooting motion fouls this year. That doesn’t appear to be the issue for Lillard, as Lillard seems to just be in a funk. When a star player known for hitting shots from the deepest ranges is currently 24-97 from 3, it is more than an adjustment to the rules.

This season, Dame has only had three games where he has posted a 3-point percentage higher than 36 percent. Lillard has had three games where he went didn’t make a 3 going, 0-9, 0-8, and 0-6.

Even with his diminished offensive output, that is not stopping Lillard, continuing to put up 18.8 shots a game while having a usage percentage of 28.6 percent. Lillard is also posting a negative VORP for the first time in his career of -0.01, which even minor is still a far cry from a player mentioned in MVP voting.

Despite Lillard floundering on offense, the Portland Trail Blazers have stayed competitive. The Blazers are currently 5-5, which does put them in a nice place to make a run whenever Dame can find his form.

Dame needs to find his shot soon because this is still a team very much in flux. Many still speculate if Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum can be the key duo of a championship team. Dame needs to get going soon so the front office can see how he can work with the other players on the roster in Chauncey Billups’s offense.

If the Blazers are going to make a run this postseason, they will need Dame to be his usual superhuman shooting self.