Enes Kanter: Opponents Say During Games 'I'm So Lucky' To Play With Damian Lillard
The Trail Blazers finished their week-long homestand perfect on Friday night with a blowout victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Enes Kanter was dominant from the opening tip, helping Portland to an early and insurmountable 22-4 lead before the halfway mark of the first quarter. Owning the offensive glass and stymying Andre Drummond multiple times in the post early, he finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds (seven offensive) despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter.
Even so, Kanter, apparently, still had plenty of time to chat with his opponents during his time on the floor.
While talking courtside with NBC Sports Northwest's Brooke Olzendam after the game, Kanter revealed the contents of his recent in-game discussions with opposing big men. The gist? Even the Blazers' foes want to play with Damian Lillard.
To be clear, Kanter didn't specify which opponents went out of their way to express a longing to be Lillard's teammate. Most of his minutes came when Drummond was on the floor, but the television broadcast also caught Kanter talking and laughing with Cleveland center Jarrett Allen during the second half.
Luckily for Allen, he's likely to be with the Cavaliers long enough for Collin Sexton and Darius Garland to reach their primes. Either guard ever coming close to scraping Lillard's status as a bonafide top-10 player and cultural tone-setter, though, seems like a far lesser possibility.
As Kanter responded on Friday night, he's blessed – just like the rest of Portland's roster for the opportunity to play with a talent and leader like Lillard.