Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has a rather interesting prediction for MVP this season: Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard.
Kerr explained his thinking to reporters Sunday afternoon:
Steve Kerr’s forecast for the MVP is Damian Lillard with a presidential twist pic.twitter.com/xrrp2f6R5L
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 23, 2016
Lillard, whether you believe Kerr is serious or not, very well could be the league’s Most Valuable Player this season.
Following the multiple departures and eventual “collapse” of the 2014-’15 Trail Blazers, most fans and analysts became skeptical of how good the team would now be. Lillard and the team responded,. surprising the world with an admirable 44-38 record and placing fifth in the Western Conference last season.
They would make the Western Conference Semifinals and eventually succumb to the Golden State Warriors, but regardless, they managed to prove their point: Do not take them, especially Damian Lillard, lightly.
Lillard confidently took the reigns of the franchise and dominated, averaging a career-high 25.1 points and 6.8 assists per contest. From the get go, Lillard promised his team would be better than expected, and he delivered. Now, his sights are set on a feat he’s never reached before: Leading his team to the NBA Finals.
“This year I want to get to the Western Conference Finals and give ourselves a chance to get to the NBA Finals,” Lillard said (via J.A. Adande of ESPN). “I think it’s possible.”
While we don’t know how far Lillard will take his team, we certainly know he won’t be joining Steve Kerr’s Warriors anytime soon.
For Lillard, he enjoys competing against teams like that. That killer instinct may very well land him with some MVP votes this spring, so long as we see him dominate like he did last season.
And he knows that:
.@Dame_Lillard on personal goals for this season: “MVP. I wanna be the MVP.” (1/2)
— Jay Allen (@PDXjay) October 23, 2016
Lillard: “If we come out & do the things we’re capable of doing as a team & we win games…” (more)
— Jay Allen (@PDXjay) October 23, 2016
Final #Lillard: “…I think that means that my performance would be at a level of the MVP.” @trailblazers #RipCity
— Jay Allen (@PDXjay) October 23, 2016
