Damian Lillard named Western Conference Player of the Week
(AP Photo/Don Ryan)
On Monday the NBA announced Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard as the Western Conference Player of the Week. Cleveland’s LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for November 10-16.
Lillard and the Blazers were 3-0 last week in games in which they missed one or more starters.
From the news release from the NBA:
Lillard led the Trail Blazers to a 3-0 week behind averages of 28.0 points (second in the conference) and 8.7 assists (third in the conference). He also placed fifth in the conference in three-point percentage at .700 (14-of-20). With LaMarcus Aldridge out of the lineup, Lillard’s 28 points (4-of-6 three-point field goals), 10 assists and five rebounds lifted Portland to a 97-87 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Nov.15 to cap the undefeated week.
On the young season Lillard is fourth in the league in total win-shares according to Basketball-Reference.
Lillard is finishing much better at the rim to start the season than he did the last two seasons and has noticeably been more active on the boards, averaging over five a game. Portland’s team defense also looks much improved and Lillard’s gradually gotten better on that end.
It’s Lillard’s first career Player of the Week honor.
Erik Gundersen
Erik Gundersen is the Trail Blazers beat reporter for The Columbian. He's a graduate of the Allen School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon in addition earning a degree in Spanish. He's covered the NBA for four seasons. You can also occasionally find his work on ESPN.com's NBA section for their TrueCities series. He also fist-bumped with Kanye West once. Follow @BlazerBanter on twitter for more Blazers and NBA news.