Damian Lillard is a Top-3 Point Guard in Basketball

The slow-mo video of Damian Lillard hitting a series-winning buzzer beater set to ‘Runaway’ by Kanye West is cool enough on its own to vault Lillard into the conversation of a top-5 point guard in basketball. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and hit that play button.

Sweet, right? But while it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion at this point that Lillard is a premier point guard, many are now asking if he’s cemented himself as a top-3 PG in the National Basketball Association, and I’m here to tell you the answer is an overwhelming yes.

Let’s check in on how some of the NBA’s other top guards have faired in the NBA Playoffs thus far.

Kyrie Irving. Oh what’s that? His teammates, and others in the organization, don’t like him? Well, at least he did exactly what he said he’d do all season and came alive during the playoffs and has carried the Celtics… wait.

Russell Westbrook. When he doesn’t have his hands full turning the ball over and bricking three after three to the tune of 32% shooting from deep, he’s throwing fits on the press conference podium. bUt alL tHoSe tRipLe DouBleS.

Kemba Walker. I’m actually a big fan of Walker and the fact that the Hornets keep missing the playoffs is in no way his fault, but if you think he’s better than Lillard then you are out of your mind.

John Wall. I used to be a big fan of Wall as well, then he took his 5 year/$85 million-extension and spent it all at Popeyes and stopped giving a darn about anything. Bradley Beal is the face of the Wizards now.

Chris Paul. Chris Paul is one of the few elite point guards still playing in the playoffs, but he has about as much to do with Houston’s success as you and me.

Steph Curry. Steph has been anything but a superstar this postseason, although I’m willing to cut him some slack because, let’s face it, shooting a basketball probably isn’t easy when you have a dislocated finger. I’m confident in calling Curry the best PG in the NBA despite his struggles the past couple of weeks.

But even with Curry claiming the spot atop the charts of basketball’s top point guards, there are still two spots in our Mount Rushmore of points guards minus sans Teddy Roosevelt, and you better believe that Lillard is taking one of those two spots. Heck, you can even convince yourself that James Harden a point guard and even still, Lillard would be on that mountain.

I could bring up stats, like the fact that Lillard is a former Rookie of the Year, that he’s a four-time All-Star, that he was First-Team All-NBA in 2018, Second-Team All-NBA in 2016, the fact that he ranks first among point guards this season in win shares, second in total points scored and third in player efficiency.

I could point to those facts as to why Lillard is a top-3 point guard but I won’t.

Because the only thing you need to do to understand why Lillard is a top-3 point guard in basketball is watching the game. Anytime a player single-handedly takes on a team that swept them in the regular season and scores 30+ points three times to win the series 4-1, they deserve to be in the discussion as a top player. Anytime someone scores 50, including the game-winner at the buzzer, in a closeout playoff game, they deserve to be in the discussion as a top player. Anytime someone has entire quarter named after them because they dominate those 12 minutes game after game, they deserve to be the in the discussion as a top player.

So watch the game. You’ll see that Damian Lillard, Dame Dolla, Dame Time, is a top-3 point guard in the National Basketball Association.