Is Damian Lillard an underperformer in the playoffs?

(Thread)
A popular narrative on social media is that Damian Lillard is an ā€œunderperformerā€ or ā€œchokerā€ in the playoffs due to statistical drops. Iā€™m here to break down all of his playoff series and debunk why that narrative is false.
Before we get into the individual series letā€™s take a look at Dames career Playoff stats:

24.8 PTS, 6.5 AST, 4.2 TRB, 1.2 STL, 40.6 FG%, 35.6 3P%, 87.9 FT% 54.8 TS%

Although these numbers may seem underwhelming compared to his RS stats they don't tell the whole story
Dame is in a select group of 11 players who have averaged 25 ppg on 55 TS% (In the playoffs)

Take a look at this tweet by @meloferg https://twitter.com/meloferg/status/1333452283498164227?s=20
Dame has made the playoffs every year of his career besides his rookie year. Dame has also been favored to lose 10 of 11 of the series he has played in yet he has won four, despite only playing alongside ONE all-star teammate for only two years (LaMarcus Aldridge).
Although many people disagree with this narrative I truly believe that Dame has been a victim of circumstance on many different occasions during the playoffs.
2014 Playoffs, Round 1: Trailblazers vs Rockets

Houston was favored to win this series (-220) vs (+180)

Lillard averaged: 25.5 PTS, 6.7 AST, 6.3 TRB, 1.3 STL, 66.5 TS%

Series 4-2 (Blazers)
This was Damesā€™s first PO series and he was exceptional. Dame played like a superstar while being the second option. He also shot 8/14 and 6/10 from three in game six where he hit a historic game-winner to advance to the semifinals. People forget how good he was in this series.
2014 Playoffs, Round 2: Trailblazers vs Spurs

San Antonio was favored to win this series (-390) vs (+310)

Lillard averaged: 19.8 PTS, 6.4 AST, 3.6 TRB, 0.6 STL, 43 TS%

Series: 4-1 (Spurs)
Dame came back to earth in this series shooting inefficiently. So how much can we blame Dame for mediocre performance?
udging that it was his second year in the NBA and he was playing against the experienced and more talented team that would go on to win the championship, in my opinion very little blame can be attributed to Dame.
2015 Playoffs, Round 1: Trailblazers vs Grizzlies

Memphis was favored to win this series (-175) vs (+155)

Lillard averaged: 21.6 PTS, 4.6 AST, 4.4 TRB, 0.4 STL, 49.1 TS%

Series: 4-1 (Grizzlies)
Similar to the Spurs the Grizzlies a defensive-oriented team was able to stop Dame and the blazers. Dame almost mirrored his regular-season stats in this series but on worse efficiency.
I believe it is reasonable to say he underperformed in this series although we must keep in mind that this was Dameā€™s second year in the playoffs and he was going against one of the best defensive teams in the league.
2016 Playoffs, Round 1: Trailblazers vs Clippers

Los Angeles was favored to win this series (-304) vs +(200)

Lillard averaged: 22.0 PTS, 5.2 AST, 4.2 TRB, 1.0 STL, 51.0 TS%

Series: 4-2 (Trailblazers)
Dame and the blazers were able to beat the injured Clippers in six games and advance to the second round. Dame scored 28 points on 9/21 shooting to eliminate the Clippers in game six.
Although Dameā€™s stats may seem mediocre this series he was not necessarily needed to produce at an elite level against a depleted Clippers team.
2016 Playoffs, Round 2: Trailblazers vs Warriors

Golden State was favored to win this series (-20000) vs (+300)

Lillard averaged: 31.8 PTS, 7.6 AST, 4.4 TRB, 1.6 STL, 54.2 TS%

Series: 4-1 (Warriors)
Dame put up a heroic performance against arguably the greatest team of all time (73-9 Warriors). Although the blazers lost 4-1 itā€™s amazing that Dame and the inferior blazers were able to steal a game from the Warriors. Dame had 40 points and 10 assists in the elimination game.
2017 Playoffs, Round 1: Trailblazers vs Warriors

Golden State was favored to win this series (-20000) vs (+500)

Lillard averaged: 27.8 PTS, 3.3 AST, 4.5 TRB, 1.3 STL, 55.0 TS%

Series: 4-0 (Warriors)
The Blazers stood no chance against the powerhouse Warriors led by Curry and Durant. Despite this Dame somehow still found a way to put up a great performance, scoring 34 points on 11/24 shooting in an attempt to keep the series alive in game four.
2018 Playoffs, Round 1: Trailblazers vs Pelicans

Portland was favored to win this series (-400) vs (+320)

Lillard averaged 18.5 PTS, 4.8 AST, 4.5 TRB, 1.0 STL, 47.1 TS%

Series:4-0 (Pelicans)
Dame was awful in this series. Alvin Gentryā€™s constant traps, doubles, and hedges combined with the suffocating defense of Jrue Holiday were enough to sweep Lillard and the blazers. The inability of adjustments from Terry Stotts also played a big role in Dameā€™s awful performance.
2019 Playoffs, Round 1: Trailblazers vs Thunder

Oklahoma was favored to win this series (-145) vs (+125)

Lillard averaged: 33.0 PTS, 6.0 AST, 4.4 TRB, 2.4 STL, 62.8 TS%

Series: 4-1 (Trailblazers)
This was a pivotal series for the blazers if they had lost this series the team most likely would have been blown up. Dame elevated his game to a new level and completely outplayed two superstars without any all-star help.
Dame eliminated the Thunder in five games with an iconic game-winner. This series is arguably one of the greatest individual first-round performances ever.
2019 playoffs, Round 2: Trailblazers vs Nuggets

Denver was favored to win this series (-140) vs (+120)

Lillard averaged: 25.1 PTS, 6.0, AST 5.0 TRB, 1.7 STL, 52.8 TS%

Series 4-3 (Trailblazers)
Lillardā€™s efficiency dropped in this series but he was still highly productive. Dame scored 32 points on 11/23 shooting in game six to push the series to game seven where the blazers pulled off the win to advance to the western conference finals.
2019 playoffs, Round 3: Trailblazers vs Warriors

Golden State was favored to win this series (-450) vs (+360)

Lillard averaged: 22.3 PTS, 8.5 AST, 4.8 TRB, 0.8 STL, 54.6 TS%

Series: 4-0 (Warriors)
his was Dameā€™s third time matching up with the Warriors in the playoffs and it was the same song and dance. Steve Kerr completely exploited the Blazerā€™s coaching scheme and the Warriors easily swept the Blazers in four games.
The fact that Dame was still able to be above average in this series while having two broken ribs playing against the Warriorā€™s elite defense is amazing. Dame had 28 points and 11 assists on 11/24 shooting in game four.
2020 Playoffs, Round 1, Trailblazers vs Lakers

Los Angeles was favored to win this series (-275) vs (+235)

Lillard averaged: 24.3 PTS, 4.3 AST, 4.5 TRB, 0.5 STL, 61.8 TS%

Series: 4-1 (Lakers)
Dame only played two full games this series in which he scored 34 points on amazing efficiency on both occasions. Dame played phenomenally against one of the best defensive teams in the NBA and thatā€™s all there is to discuss.
Dame has had to deal with subpar teammates and coaching his whole career and still found a way to be above average in the playoffs. Contrary to popular belief I believe Dame has had only two truly bad playoff performances (2015 and 2018).
Iā€™m not going to sit here and say Dame is one of the greatest playoff performers in the NBA which is something he hasnā€™t necessarily been. but to say he is an underperformer is just completely false. For the most part, Dame has either met or exceeded expectations in the playoffs.
If you have made it this far thanks for reading! likes and rts appreciated!
You can follow @IamWavo.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword ā€œunrollā€ to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled:
Those who think consciousness raising & movement building are disconnected, or even a distraction from electoral politics have not paid attention to the history of social change.In this thread, we
Read more
The 2020s will be known as the Remote Work decadeA few predictions of what is likely to emerge[ a thread ] Third Space: Office and Working from Home will
Read more
1/29: Have you ever had a concept explained to you that helps frame complex issues youā€™ve been wrestling with and opens your eyes to new possibilities? A concept that I
Read more
By continuing to use the site, you are consenting to the use of cookies as explained in our Cookie Policy to improve your experience.