Damian Lillard: Trail Blazers Haven't Been Playing 'Different' During Losing Streak
Damian Lillard didn't become one of the best players and leaders in basketball without an unwavering sense of self-confidence. Just because the Trail Blazers' franchise cornerstone believes in himself and his teammates, though, hardly means Lillard's appraisal of Portland's current standing league-wide isn't rooted firmly in reality.
After the Blazers were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, Lillard was asked to assess his team's performance during its ongoing four-game losing streak. Is it any different from the level of play that previously propelled Portland to six consecutive wins?
As Lillard sees it, the Blazers' recent struggles have more to do with the competition they've faced instead of some abject downturn in performance.
"I don't think we different," he said. "I think the level of competition has been a little bit more stiff. I think the three home games and the three-game trip that we went on were all teams in the same boat as us – fighting for a spot in the Western Conference, and a lot of talent. Just not the same amount of experience. We were the more experienced team in those games, and we were able to pull out tight games because of, I think, our experience. Then you fast forward to the Phoenix game, the Denver game and then [the Lakers game]...it's just experience. Their experience is the same as ours or even further along as a roster. "
There's no denying Portland's competition has been more difficult of late – a reality Lillard alluded to last week before this difficult stretch of schedule. The Suns, Nuggets and Lakers, not to mention the much-improved Wizards, are far more formidable foes than the Magic, Cavaliers and Thunder, for instance.
The absences of Jusuf Nurkic and C.J. McCollum, though, have not just chipped away at the Blazers' experience, but also their continuity.
Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little aren't used to consistent rotation minutes. Gary Trent Jr., solid he's proven as a scorer, has never been an NBA team's second option offensively. Lineups the Blazers worked on in training camp and deployed over the first month of the season have been scrapped entirely. It's safe to say Terry Stotts, with Harry Giles III also recently injured, never planned on committing to small-ball reserve units on a nightly basis.
There are only three more games until the All-Star break, all of them winnable. Whether Portland enters the break with positive or negative momentum, though, won't much affect its play over the season's remainder. Nurkic and McCollum, remember, are slated to be back shortly after the schedule resumes on March 10.
It's in the weeks to follow their return that Lillard and the Blazers will have a much better understanding of how they stack up to top competition.