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NBA Insider Brian Windhorst Has Special Words of Appreciation for Damian Lillard

Published 02/23/2021, 5:19 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

Damian Lillard has been in electrifying form this season. The 30-year-old has clearly been one of the best players in the league and has led the injury laden Blazers to an impressive 18-11 record in a loaded Western Conference.

The Blazers have been missing two key players in CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic. But the on-court heroics of Damian Lillard has kept them competitive in the Conference.

NBA insider Brian Windhorst was certainly impressed with the Blazers’ superstar. In a recent episode of his podcast, Windhorst described the insane statistics Dame has managed to muster without McCollum and Nurkic. He said,

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“Since CJ McCollum went down, which was in mid- January and Dame has missed a game or two in there, but his stats, he is averaging in those games 32 points on 45% shooting.

“For him he takes a lot of difficult shots, for example, he takes about 12 threes a game. He is shooting 93% from the line and he is averaging 4.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists a game and 1.1 steals, just incredible.

He added, “Think about 32 points and 9 assists. Think about how many times he is throwing it to a guy who gets fowled. He is probably accounting for in the neighborhood of 50 to 60 points per night that too without Nurkic who is missing through injury.

“The guy is just an incredible performer. He is doing it again. His team is playing well, all things considered. It’s just a Dame Lillard appreciation moment here. The guy is amazing. He keeps doing it year after year and he is doing it again.”

Lillard remains one of the best point guards in the game. Can he maintain his blazing form and win his maiden MVP trophy?

Is Damian Lillard finally getting the recognition he deserves?

Over the last two years, Lillard has transformed into a superstar. He is the leader of the Blazers team and is considered one of the most clutch players in the NBA.

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But despite being considered as one of the most clutch players in the league, Lillard has often been overlooked in the MVP race. This was evident in the 2019-20 season.

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USA Today via Reuters

The 30-year-old had led an injury-laden Blazers side to the playoffs averaging an absurd 37.6 points, 9.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game in the last eight games in the Orlando Bubble. Throughout the 2019-20 season, he averaged 30.0 points, 8.0 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game but was nowhere to be found in the MVP conversations.

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But it has been a different case this season. Lillard’s insane performances have propelled him into one of the top picks to become the MVP of the league.

This season ‘Dame Dolla’ is averaging a career high 30.0 points, 7.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. He is the league’s third best scorer and has been pivotal in carrying the Blazers to a 18-11 record. Dame has proved his critics wrong every time. It finally looks like the 30-year-old is getting the recognition he deserves.

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Written by:

Aditya Mohapatra

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Aditya Mohapatra is a sports enthusiast who primarily covers the NBA for EssentiallySports. Having graduated in Mass Communication, he has prior experience in writing for ABP News, and has been writing for EssentiallySports since November 2020. This die-hard Los Angeles Lakers fan feels that LeBron James is the best thing to have ever happened to the NBA, and will hold a healthy debate with anyone suggesting otherwise.
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