The MVP Case for Damian Lillard

bleacherreport.com

While all of the hype and media is focused on the heroics of Stephen Curry and the 53-5 Golden State Warriors, there is a player up in Portland leading a team filled with role players into the Western Conference playoff picture. That player is former Rookie of the Year and two-time All Star Damian Lillard.

Before making the case for Lillard, it must be said that what Stephen Curry is doing with the Warriors is otherworldly. Curry has already broken his own record for three-pointers made in a season, and has led the Warriors to a season that may end with this team going down as the best team of all-time.

Now that that has been said, it is time to move on to Lillard. Coming into the season, the Trail Blazers had lost four out of their five starters from last season’s team that earned the fourth seed in the playoffs. The only starter that remained was Lillard.

Outside of Lillard, the Trail Blazers starting lineup was completely unproven coming into this season. C.J. McCollum was thought of as a potential three-point marksman, but no one was completely sold on that idea. The front court duo of Mason Plumlee and Noah Vonleh had never played together, and neither of the two had never succeeded while playing starter minutes. Al-Farouq Aminu was a veteran forward who had never been anything more than a role player in his career.

With a roster like that, many were expecting Portland to finish near the bottom of the Western Conference and earn a high lottery pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

How have the Trail Blazers done this season?

They’re 32-28 and are tied for the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoff picture, mostly due to the dominant play by Lillard.

Now Lillard isn’t the only reason why the Blazers have succeeded thus far; McCollum is arguably the NBA’s most improved player, Vonleh and Plumlee have played well and have formed a solid front court duo. Aminu is averaging a career high in points per game this season as well.

But one must wonder, where would Portland be without Lillard?

In his past ten games alone, Lillard has averaged 31.4 points and 6.4 assists per game. On the season, he is averaging 25.4 points and seven assists per game to go along with 4.3 rebounds.

Lillard was the most notable snub from this year’s All Star Game, and while he may not receive the hype that someone like a Stephen Curry would receive, he is having without a doubt the best season of his young career.

Lillard dropped 51 points on Curry’s Warriors and led the Blazers to a 32-point win, the largest loss the Warriors have had all season long.

Stats alone don’t tell the whole story as to how valuable Lillard really is.

Without Lillard, not only are the Trail Blazers out of the playoff picture, but they are likely sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference and could have been major sellers at the trade deadline.

Without Lillard, C.J. McCollum may not have had the type of season that he’s had, and he may not have broken out as one of the better shooting guards in the NBA.

The Trail Blazers as a whole need Lillard far more than the Warriors need Curry, as outside of Curry the Warriors still have all stars in Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. They also have other solid players like Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, and Andre Iguodala.

When it comes down to who is the most valuable player in the NBA, no one is more deserving of that title than Damian Lillard.