Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving Represent the Future of NBA

The NBA had a star-studded performance take place on Tuesday night. And it might have gone completely over your head, or you were busy trying to digest what happened to your favorite NFL team from the past Sunday & Monday. 

Portland Trail Blazers Guard Damian Lillard.

The Portland Trail Blazers & Cleveland Cavs matched up on Tuesday, pitting the best team in the Western Conference in the Blazers with one of the rising teams in the Eastern Conference in the Cavs. 

But the bigger matchup was second-year player & reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard against former Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving in a matchup of the best young point guards in the league. While Lillard’s Trail Blazers got the win in the last second of the game, both players played exceptionally well & showed off the future of the NBA in a big way. 

Cleveland Cavs Point Guard Kyrie Irving.

Lillard had 36 points & 10 assists & Irving had 25 points & 10 assists, & with numbers like those guys are putting up, along with Stephen Curry, John Wall, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Jennings, Michael Carter-Williams, Chris Paul & others, the NBA is hitting a renaissance period with the reemergence of the star point guard. 

On any given night, you can see some of the top point guards going against each other, in what used to be known as a key matchup in the 80s & 90s due to the level of leadership that position has demanded over the years. The point guard is the player that normally calls out plays, one of the most intense defenders, & keeps the overall morale of the team strong during good & bad times. 

Today’s NBA point guards are far better scorers, however, than the guards of the past, I believe. The point guards of the past were all about getting everyone else involved & making sure the defense was strong, but today’s players are stronger & more lethal when it comes to hitting big shots, going into the post if need be, and being as much of a scoring threat on the court as any of the other positions. 

If this new generation of point guards continue to stay healthy & continue their overall growth, these young players will be leading their teams to NBA Championships very quickly.