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Damian Lillard and the value of emotion
Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

Damian Lillard and the value of emotion

How do we measure the value of emotion? Not the emotion of a single player, but the emotion a single player can elicit during the course of a game. In our current hoops coverage landscape, so much of the attention is given to empirical data to separate the bad from the good, and the good from the great (with reason, I should add). The numbers, however, often remove a layers of humanity efficiency models can’t calculate. Earned emotion – a phrase made up during a re-write of this very piece – has very little place in the discussion on how we attribute worth to today’s ball players, emphasis on the stars.

Damian Lillard, for all intents and purposes, is neither under or over rated – he simply dwells as he is in the ethereal empyrean of the NBA’s elite. He is, however, under-loved, a distinction made clear by missing this year’s All-Star game. His lack of love from fans around the league isn’t due to a lack of brand building. He’s featured in multiple television spots for State Farm and has one of the best-looking signature shoes in the NBA. But, with the normalization of athletes using social media as a means to help foster a personal brand, self-awareness among individuals is likely at an all-time high. Lillard, however, has been forced to become hyper aware of not just himself, but of those around him. As he tries to carve out a space that showcases his individualism on the court, a solipsistic worldview is impossible to maintain. If he’s going to gain the love of the world, he’s going to have to take it from Steph Curry and Russell Westbrook – and the only way this works is if he continues to elicit emotion.

***

Lillard’s explosive season is the result of a lifetime of watching others select the other option. If nothing else, Lillard is going to work his damnedest to make our decision for us instead of hoping we figure it out ourselves. Both Steph Curry and Russell Westbrook have styles that are arcane by today’s standards. It’s hard to truly grasp Curry’s long-range efficiency and Westbrook’s other-worldly athleticism with words. We can describe what Lillard does because, for the most part, we’ve seen it before. What makes him special is that we’ve never seen anyone do these things with this kind of consistency at his particular size. Earlier this month, Damian Lillard eclipsed 1,500 points and 400 assists for the fourth time in as many seasons he’s been in the NBA, a feat only accomplished by Oscar Robertson and LeBron James – both men a few inches and a few weight classes above him.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of Lillard’s entrance into the casual fan’s daily lexicon is that Steph has inoculated us from the extraordinary. To get a rise out of today’s hoops fans, players must exceed normal standards of exceptionalism because Curry and – to a lesser extent – Westbrook do this so often. Lillard’s biggest challenge, however, also becomes his biggest tool. It’s a double-edged sword that he’s learned to handle so well, especially since All-Star Weekend. In his first game back after the break, Lillard sliced up Curry to the tune of 51 points, seven assists and six steals. In fact, since the break, Lillard is averaging a shade under 40 points per night against point guards who suited up for the mid-season classic. If he’s going to wield a sword, he must sharpen it against his best opponents.

Lillard splits the difference between Westbrook’s life-altering athleticism and Stephen Curry’s paradigm-shifting shooting prowess. To exist in this middle at any other point in the NBA’s history would play to Lillard’s benefit as his game would appeal to those whose sensibilities lie on either side of the spectrum. Westbrook and Curry becoming such unique athletes make it hard to give other point guards equal love – there just isn’t enough room in our collective hearts for three wonder kids.

However, if we don’t marvel at Lillard’s prowess now, are we going to regret not fully immersing ourselves in his prime a decade from now? This isn’t a question about whether we’ll miss out on one of the more statistically fascinating careers, but more about missing out on the adventure of a Lillard performance. The emotionality of watching Lillard is the most understated experience of the 2015-16 season – and if it’s not Curry or Westbrook taking away his shine, it’s the way in which we consume basketball in this social media epoch. When Lillard has it going early, big moments have an inevitability you can only experience watching live. Yes, his ability to get to the rim at will and hit huge shots with the game on the line can exist as autonomous experiences in a Vine, but there’s always early-game foreshadowing that let us know these moments are coming. Like Curry and Westbrook, Lillard’s best makes you feel things. Unlike his counterparts, we rarely take the time to talk about those feelings.

***

Lillard does still has some room to grow, and the Blazers are a few levels down on the notional totem pole of Western Conference superiority. A lot of what Lillard ostensibly deserves will come when he’s on a team that wins with more regularity. Curry is the leader of a team that has an opportunity to finish with the best regular season record in the league’s history while Westbrook has already played in the Finals and cemented himself as a multi-dimensional player last season with the absence of his running mate in Kevin Durant.  

Chris Paul still belongs in the conversation for the leagues best point guard along with a wealth of other ball handlers in the Eastern Conference. There are challenges beyond Curry and Westbrook, and a lot of them are created by Lillard himself. A raise in consistency on the defensive end an increased efficiency inside the 3-point line are the next steps in terms of aligning himself with his contemporaries. We can’t measure what he brings to the game more than anything else, but we can do a better job of appreciating the way he makes us feel.

Can you name every NBA player to record a 40+ pt game between 1999-2017?

Team(s) listed are teams players played for at the time of their 40+ point game.

SCORE:
0/171
TIME:
15:00
LAL - 135
Kobe Bryant
PHI/DEN - 81
Allen Iverson
CLE/MIA - 76
LeBron James
SEA/OKC/GSW - 54
Kevin Durant
ORL/HOU - 49
Tracy McGrady
OKC/HOU - 42
James Harden
MIA - 41
Dwyane Wade
DEN/NYK - 40
Carmelo Anthony
OKC - 39
Russell Westbrook
TOR/NJN/ORL - 34
Vince Carter
LAL/MIA/PHX - 33
Shaquille O'Neal
GSW - 32
Stephen Curry
GSW/WAS - 30
Gilbert Arenas
DAL - 27
Dirk Nowitzki
BOS - 24
Paul Pierce
PHX/NYK - 22
Amar'e Stoudemire
MIL/SEA/BOS - 15
Ray Allen
NOP - 15
Anthony Davis
CLE - 14
Kyrie Irving
NJN/PHX/NYK - 14
Stephon Marbury
POR - 13
Damian Lillard
MIL - 12
Michael Redd
MIN/CLE - 11
Kevin Love
GSW - 11
Klay Thompson
TOR/MIA - 10
Chris Bosh
SAC/NOP - 10
DeMarcus Cousins
DET - 10
Jerry Stackhouse
TOR - 9
DeMar DeRozan
SAS - 9
Tim Duncan
GSW - 9
Monta Ellis
CHI - 8
Jimmy Butler
CHI/NYK/GSW - 8
Jamal Crawford
LAC - 8
Blake Griffin
GSW/WAS - 8
Antawn Jamison
WAS - 8
Michael Jordan
SAC/HOU - 8
Kevin Martin
NOH/LAC - 8
Chris Paul
GSW/CHA/PHX - 8
Jason Richardson
BOS - 7
Isaiah Thomas
POR - 6
LaMarcus Aldridge
SAS - 6
Manu Ginobili
CHI/DET - 6
Ben Gordon
WAS/DET - 6
Richard Hamilton
ORL - 6
Dwight Howard
ATL - 6
Joe Johnson
SEA - 6
Gary Payton
WAS - 6
John Wall
SAC - 5
Mike Bibby
IND - 5
Paul George
SAS - 5
Tony Parker
POR - 5
Brandon Roy
CHA/POR - 5
Gerald Wallace
NOH - 5
David West
MIN - 5
Andrew Wiggins
WAS - 4
Bradley Beal
CLE/MIN - 4
Ricky Davis
MIN - 4
Kevin Garnett
IND - 4
Danny Granger
DET - 4
Grant Hill
NYK - 4
Allan Houston
GSW/WAS/CLE - 4
Larry Hughes
MIN/UTA/CHA - 4
Al Jefferson
UTA - 4
Karl Malone
IND - 4
Reggie Miller
IND/CHI - 4
Jalen Rose
DEN - 4
J.R. Smith
DEN/DAL - 4
Nick Van Exel
CHO - 4
Kemba Walker
SAC - 4
Chris Webber
UTA/NJN/BKN - 4
Deron Williams
PHX - 3
Eric Bledsoe
UTA - 3
Carlos Boozer
CHI/LAC - 3
Elton Brand
MIL/MIN - 3
Sam Cassell
MEM/CHI - 3
Pau Gasol
MEM/SAC - 3
Rudy Gay
IND/NYK - 3
Al Harrington
NJN - 3
Devin Harris
ATL/GSW/CHA - 3
Stephen Jackson
SEA - 3
Rashard Lewis
TOR - 3
Kyle Lowry
HOU - 3
Cuttino Mobley
PHX - 3
Steve Nash
POR - 3
Zach Randolph
NYK - 3
Nate Robinson
CHI - 3
Derrick Rose
NYK - 3
Latrell Sprewell
MIN - 3
Karl-Anthony Towns
CLE/MIN - 3
Mo Williams
WAS/LAL - 3
Nick Young
ATL - 2
Shareef Abdur-Rahim
GSW - 2
Baron Davis
DEN - 2
Danilo Gallinari
NJN - 2
Richard Jefferson
PHX/NJN - 2
Jason Kidd
SAS - 2
Kawhi Leonard
NOH - 2
Jamal Mashburn
MEM/DAL - 2
O.J. Mayo
POR - 2
C.J. McCollum
DEN - 2
Antonio McDyess
MEM - 2
Mike Miller
UTA - 2
Paul Millsap
HOU - 2
Yao Ming
POR - 2
Clifford Robinson
SAC/NOH - 2
Peja Stojakovic
ATL - 2
Jason Terry
SAC - 2
Marcus Thornton
BOS - 2
Antoine Walker
LAL - 2
Lou Williams
ORL - 1
Arron Afflalo
MIL - 1
Giannis Antetokounmpo
HOU - 1
Trevor Ariza
PHX - 1
Leandro Barbosa
TOR - 1
Andrea Bargnani
MIN - 1
Michael Beasley
DAL - 1
Rodrigue Beaubois
DET - 1
Chauncey Billups
BKN - 1
Bojan Bogdanovic
PHX - 1
Devin Booker
MIN - 1
Corey Brewer
HOU - 1
Aaron Brooks
WAS - 1
Caron Butler
LAL - 1
Andrew Bynum
GSW - 1
Jordan Crawford
NYK - 1
Eddy Curry
PHX - 1
Tony Delk
CHI - 1
Luol Deng
VAN - 1
Michael Dickerson
PHX - 1
Goran Dragic
NOP - 1
Tyreke Evans
DAL - 1
Michael Finley
HOU - 1
Steve Francis
MEM - 1
Marc Gasol
LAC - 1
Eric Gordon
PHX - 1
Gerald Green
BOS - 1
Jeff Green
UTA - 1
Gordon Hayward
DAL - 1
Josh Howard
DET - 1
Reggie Jackson
MIL - 1
Brandon Jennings
IND - 1
Anthony Johnson
DEN - 1
Nikola Jokic
DEN - 1
Linas Kleiza
MIN - 1
Zach LaVine
PHX - 1
Shawn Marion
LAL - 1
Jodie Meeks
UTA - 1
C.J. Miles
POR - 1
Darius Miles
POR - 1
Andre Miller
NJN - 1
Anthony Morrow
MIA - 1
Alonzo Mourning
CLE - 1
Lamond Murray
IND - 1
Jermaine O'Neal
UTA - 1
Mehmet Okur
ORL - 1
Victor Oladipo
LAC - 1
J.J. Redick
LAC - 1
Quentin Richardson
MIL - 1
Glenn Robinson
BOS - 1
Rajon Rondo
TOR - 1
Terrence Ross
LAL - 1
D'Angelo Russell
HOU - 1
Luis Scola
MIL - 1
Ramon Sessions
POR - 1
Damon Stoudamire
DET - 1
Rodney Stuckey
MIN - 1
Wally Szczerbiak
TOR - 1
Charlie Villanueva
POR - 1
Rasheed Wallace
GSW - 1
C.J. Watson
POR - 1
Bonzi Wells
SEA - 1
Damien Wilkins

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