Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers fell short of their collective goal in 2020-21, having been dispatched in a six-game series against the Denver Nuggets. Despite that, league insiders weren’t hesitant about giving Lillard’s individual performance its proper adulation. ESPN’s NBA experts joined together to make picks on the Most Valuable Player of the postseason’s first round, with Lillard commanding a top spot.
Lillard earned the No. 5 spot, joining Luka Doncic as one of just two players to make ESPN’s list despite not advancing further to the semifinals. Kirk Goldsberry had this assessment when describing Lillard’s play:
“Technically speaking, Lillard’s 55-point masterpiece in Game 5 against Denver was not enough.