“Looking around the NBA, there’s a lot of good players who haven’t made All-Star games yet, do you think it’s fair for coaches to vote-in guys who put up pedestrian-like numbers and get into the All-Star Game? Or do you think All-Stars should be guys who change teams drastically?"
That was the question former journalism major and Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum, posing as a reporter, asked teammate Damian Lillard during the team's media avaailbility on Thursday.
“I think it should be guys who change teams drastically," Lillard answered. "There are certain things that go into [All-Star voting] now, and those certain things are out of our control. You’ve just gotta roll with the punches.”
“I understand, there’s a lot of politics involved in this game," McCollum would retort.
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NBA All-Star reserves were announced nationally on TNT Thursday afternoon, and neither Lillard nor McCollum were selected to make the trip to New Orleans in February despite putting up historic numbers in 2016-17 amidst the Blazers' slow 20-27 start. When it came to fans, players and media selecting starters, Lillard finished sixth among all Western Conference backcourt players while McCollum finished eighth. For the Western Conference coaches' selections of reserves, Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, Golden State's Klay Thompson and Utah's Gordon Hayward were the backcourt players chosen over the Blazer tandem.
"Every year, I feel like I play at [All-Star] level," Lillard said. "I always talk about how tough it is to do it every night. Regardless of what somebody has to say, I do it every night. I’m an All-Star level player, that’s how I feel about it, but I don’t feel the need to continue to say ‘Oh, I should be All-Star because of this or that.’
"It’s out of my control, it is what it is. Honestly, I’m not even sweating it."
Added McCollum: "It is what it is. I understand you could have a really good year, you could play at an All-Star-caliber level and not make [the All-Star team]. You have to be ok with that. I’ve got other goals and, obviously, if you do what you’re supposed to do, you’ll make it at some point. The better you do as a team, the more you’re rewarded.
"You see a lot of guys who put up pedestrian numbers and make it — that’s ok, because they’re on good teams."
Before the selections were made, head coach Terry Stotts noted he was anxious to see the results. Going beyond stats, Stotts made the case for his backcourt because of what they mean for both his team and its opponents.
"I think both [Lillard and McCollum] have been a focal point of our offense, and they’ve been a focal point of the opponents’ defense," Stotts explained. "Every time that we play a game, the priorities are to have a gameplan about Damian and CJ. It’s not easy from their standpoint to not only carry the team as a playmaker-facilitator, but also to score on a nightly basis. Both of them have obviously gotten better.
"Both Dame and CJ have a responsibility and it’s difficult every night knowing how important it is that they help our team at the offensive end. Both guys have improved over last season. Damian’s gotten better every year he’s been in the league, so has CJ. It’s testament to their talent and their work ethic."
**GIF courtesy of CSNNW // All stats via Basketball Reference