With the MVP race heating up, the name of Damian Lillard is often left out of various lists of the top MVP candidates. In the wake of Lillard’s 43-point and 16 assists showdown in Portland’s win over New Orleans, his teammate Jusuf Nurkic tweeted his support for the Blazers star.
“They talking Dame should be in MVP conversation… man if season over today He is the MVP!!!” the Bosnian tweeted followed with “Dame is the MVP.”
According to Basketball Reference’s MVP Award tracker, which ranks candidates based on a model built using previous voting results, Nikola Jokic is the favorite to win the award with a 40% probability. He is followed by Joel Embiid (12.9%) and LeBron James (12.8%). Lillard is fourth on the list with an 8% chance of becoming the MVP.
This season, the 30-year-old point guard is averaging 29.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game for the Trail Blazers.
