Fansided

Power ranking NBA Western Conference point guards

By Connor Learn

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) and Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) go head-to-head tonight in a meeting of two stars in today's FanDuel daily picks. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) and Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) go head-to-head tonight in a meeting of two stars in today's FanDuel daily picks. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

Prior to last season, many expected the Portland Trail Blazers to miss the playoffs and rebuild after losing four starters in the offseason. But Damian Lillard didn’t want to rebuild, so he brought his game to the next level, increasing his scoring by over four points per game. His defense improved and he notched a career-high in assists. The season culminated with a Second Team All-NBA nod and the Trail Blazers won a surprising 51 games.

Lillard emerged as a true franchise star last year.

Thus far this season, Damian Lillard has improved again. His scoring is up to what would be a career high 28 PPG. However, Portland has struggled without power forward Al Farouq Aminu and have had their issues so far. Despite that, Lillard and C.J. McCollum continue to show why they are one of the league’s premier backcourts; they keep the Trail Blazers afloat. If Portland resolves some of their issues, they will match or exceed last year’s success on the strength of their franchise player.

Key Statistics

  • 28 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.5 apg, 24.8 PER, 32.2 Usage
  • 11th in Win Shares, 15.2 Player Impact Rating, 34.9% from three
  • Trail Blazers 8-7
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