Zach Lowe Places Damian Lillard on All-NBA Second Team

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard is due to receive some recognition on the NBA awards ballot for his career year during the 2019-20 season. After voting Lillard fourth in the MVP race, ESPN’s Zach Lowe explained why he has Lillard on the All-NBA Second Team:

As for Lillard: There is a difference between Portland’s 29-37 season and what the Hawks and Wizards did. Portland was coming off six straight postseason appearances and a run to the conference finals. They had high expectations — way too high. Their games mattered. They had real stakes.

Also, 29-37 in the West is an entirely different animal than 24-40 in the junior varsity — especially given how injuries decimated Portland’s roster. Lillard almost single-handedly kept them afloat for parts of January and February. Portland somehow outscored opponents with Lillard on the floor. He’s not a plus defender, but he fights.

Lowe gives the nod to LeBron James and James Harden for the guard positions on the All-NBA First Team. Lillard is joined by Chris Paul, Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jokic on Lowe’s Second Team.

Lillard currently has four career All-NBA honors: First Team (2018), Second Team (2016, 2019) and Third Team (2014).

You can read more from Lowe’s ballot analysis here.