PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

DAMIAN LILLARD, MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Coming off a 1st Team All-NBA campaign which culminated in his team getting swept out of the playoffs, Damian Lillard has every motivation to come back with a vengeance in 2018-19. The Weber State product averaged an explosive 26.9 points and 6.6 assists per outing last year, and before the rocky close to the season, he led the Portland Trail Blazers to 49 wins and the third seed in the stacked Western Conference. To make a legit run at MVP, it’ll require for Lillard, who’ll be in his age-28 season, to take his game to another level. But after all he’s accomplished already, who’s to say that’s impossible?