Damian Lillard Offers Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Advice: 'The Grass is Not Always Greener on the Other Side'

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added another clutch time highlight to his growing reel Tuesday night against the Blazers. His game-winning shots are becoming second nature at this point. But Tuesday night, Gilgeous-Alexander’s stage was set by Damian Lillard’s game-tying shot with three seconds left. Lillard, who’s been with the Trailblazers his entire career, knows a thing or two about big time shots on a small market team.

"People have said that to me in my career and I've won a lot of games,” Lillard said after the game, when asked to give a piece of advice to SGA. “What I haven't done is won a championship. But I've won since I've been here.”

While Portland hasn’t won an NBA Finals in Lillard’s time with the Blazers, the star point guard is right in the the fact that the franchise has experienced immense success over his years. Deep playoff runs, 50-win regular seasons and a decade full of highlight plays and scoring outbursts is always worth the price of admission.

For Lillard, remaining with the Blazers through the thick and thin has been a personal choice his entire career. At this point, it fits his style and he’s comfortable with the team and the city. Ultimately, every NBA player has different desires and priorities, but for Lillard, staying put has helped him turn in a Hall of Fame type of career… and it’s not over yet.

“My advice would be — he's in a situation where he's playing free,” Lillard continued. “They believe in him, he's got a group of guys that understand he's the leader, he's the guy. In the position he's in, his career is in a great position. I'd say the grass is not always greener on the other side."

Now that SGA is receiving league-wide attention, his name has been thrown in countless trade simulators and hypotheticals. There have been unsourced (and seemingly untrue) reports of Gilgeous-Alexander wanting out after two losing seasons. Through the rumors though, both OKC and SGA have stayed committed to one another.

Gilgeous-Alexander has clearly taken the next step in his game. The only thing is, before the season started, nobody had an idea he was even capable of a step like this. He’s now averaging 31.3 points, 5.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game, while generating all-time hype for both the All Star Game and All-NBA team’s. It wouldn’t be shocking for a player like SGA to have an MVP Trophy to his name based on the current trajectory of his NBA career.

Advice from a soon-to-be Hall of Fame member in Lillard is a cool word for the Thunder guard to hear. Being in similar spots over the years and burdened with heavy expectations, Gilgeous-Alexander can continue to learn the ropes from those who have paved the way for franchise players like him.

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