Damian Lillard's present and future with the Trail Blazers

It's the Damian Lillard episode. The Damesode? Probably not. It's time to talk about the Trail Blazers' star point guard and his present and future in Portland. It's starts with the basics. Contract status, likelihood of a max extension this summer and his role as a voice and decision maker in the franchise. Then the time has come to address the elephant in the room. That elephant is just not competing on defense at a level that will allow his fellow elephants to ... okay this metaphor got away from me. But Dame has been bad on defense. He has to be better. Period. On top of that it would help if Lillard played with slightly more pace on offense. He's an elite playmaker and a force in the halfcourt but the Blazers have looked to be at their best when they play with more tempo and there is not a lot of evidence that Lillard is comfortable in a sped up offense. If he can buy into more of that style, he'll address one of his clearest weaknesses. But this isn't about nitpicking. It's about recognizing the Lillard is not that far removed from being one of the best players in the NBA and acknowledging that it won't take much for him to get back there in a hurry. He's really good so that question is about how to maximize his strengths more than it is worrying about his weaknesses. That's why the final question of the show is what a Damian Lillard led championship team probably looks like. That's the riddle the Blazers will be trying to solve over the next three-plus seasons with Lillard on the roster and still near the peak of his powers, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices