Portland’s impressive start to the regular season has gone somewhat under the radar. The Trail Blazers have won nine of their first 12 games despite having a first-time head coach and dealing with a string of injuries.
Against the Kings, the duo of Dame Lillard and Deni Avdija combined for more than half of Portland’s 120 points in a road win at the Golden 1 Center.
Avdija’s continued offensive development – The Israeli forward is producing 23.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.3 assist per game, shooting 50% from the field and 35% from long range- is allowing Lillard to pick his spots and be more selective about when to take over games. That’s no small advantage for a player who has spent most of his career as his team’s primary offensive option.
“He’s been great,” Lillard said of Avdija. “Playing with him has been probably the most joyful for me out of any other player that I’ve played with, as far as being a tandem. Just because of the force that he plays with, it makes the game easier for me.
“Especially coming back after missing some time, the trust that’s there based off of what I’ve seen from him last year, and now being on the floor with him, it’s at an extremely high level. Knowing that he can dominate games, he can make plays and make the game easier for me, and I can do the same for him. It’s been great just to have a guy that I can play alongside that you trust on that level.”
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