The NBA have evolved a lot in the last few years and while many believe that Stephen Curry played a major role in changing the game, Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard is also someone who has made long-range shooting a major trend among the upcoming players.
Both the point guards have had a pretty good regular season this time and speaking about the All-NBA teams JJ Reddick mentioned the greatness that these two guards bring to the league.
Curry missed a major chunk of the season due to injury but still, he played a major role in them securing a playoff spot. He was their leader once again and with him, the team plays a lot better. Despite the challenges this season, Curry managed to pull off some of the top performances for the Warriors this season and looking at him and his influence many people believe that the Warriors may defend their crown.
On the other hand, Damian Lillard has been pretty much the one-man show for the Portland Trail Blazers. He came back from an abdomen injury and still proved to his doubters that he can ball and be one of the best at the game of this generation.
Although the Trail Blazers could not get past the regular season, Lillard averaged 32.2 and was as lethal as ever. He was probably one of the only few positives from the season.
Understandably so Reddick credited the two guards and claims them to be the two best guards in the league right now. He placed them in his All-NBA third team. “I can’t deny what Steph Curry and Damian Lillard did this year. Two of the best seasons for a guard, potentially, ever. I mean, seriously. Those guys were un-f***ing-believable this season. So, I had them for the third team guard,” he stated.
Lillard got shut down and Curry was injured for a major chunk and that’s the reason why Reddick had put them in the third team. He feels if Curry plays the entirety of the regular season then he will be in the first team and even Lillard without getting shut down would be placed higher.
“I think, for both these guys, if Dame doesn’t get shut down, he’s not on my third team. If Steph doesn’t get injured, he’s on my first team. That’s how good they were,” he justified.
Lastly, Reddick highlighted how good Lillard and Curry were this season and without taking a dig at the young and upcoming guards, he felt them to be the best in the NBA. However, he admitted that they must pay more focus on their fitness. “To me, when they were on the court – and this is not a knock on Shai or Luka or Donovan Mitchell – to me, these guys were the two best guards in the NBA this year. They just didn’t play enough games,” he concluded.
The Golden State Warriors finished sixth in the Eastern Conference just ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers. Whereas the Portland Trail Blazers have finished 13th in the regular season.
