5 franchise milestones Damian Lillard could achieve with the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2021-22 NBA season

#3 Assists

Damian Lillard passing out of a double team against the New Orleans Pelicans

Damian Lillard has a knack for finding the right spots and making the right plays, leading to easy buckets for his teammates. Being the focal point of an offense gives one higher gravity than most players on the court. But only the elite players like Lillard know how to utilize that to create chances for others and themselves.

Dame has an elite passing ability and court vision that helps him pass under duress without turning the ball over. Lillard has averaged 6.6 assists throughout his career. He has also helped players such as CJ McCollum and Carmelo Anthony elevate their games by providing them with open looks around collapsing defenses.

Dame is a pick-and-roll savant with the ability to drive in, step back and pop or pass it to the rolling big man or a wide-open shooter. That gives him and his teammates enough open looks to make it count.

If Lillard manages to stay healthy, he could easily average seven or more assists per game, considering his array of moves and dazzling passes. Dame sits in third place, 420 assists behind Clyde Drexler, in Portland's career leaders for assists. If he manages to keep up with his career average, he should pass Drexler to move to second spot.

---

#2 Free Throws

Damian Lillard hitting a free throw against the Memphis Grizzlies

Damian Lillard's ability to drive into the lane, step back and pop and shoot difficult shots with contact often helps him get to the charity stripe.

Lillard has averaged 5.5 free throws in his nine-year stint in the league. The increase in his offensive proficiency over the last four years has helped him average more free throws. Last season, he averaged 6.7 free throws in 7.2 attempts, shooting well over 92% from the stripe.

Dame's offensive arsenal often helps him get to the line. If he equals or betters his career average and stays healthy, he could move into first place in the team's all-time free-throw list. He is 42 free throws behind first-placed Clyde Drexler at the moment.

---

#1 Points

Damian Lillard hitting a tough shot against the Denver Nuggets

Damian Lillard has been a marksman of the highest quality and a magician with a ton of tricks up his sleeve. He has an array of offensive weapons to utilize as he bamboozles defenses.

His elite offensive proficiency allows him to find different ways to score, whether it is using pick-and-roll with deadly efficiency or pulling up from half court to sink three-pointers. Lillard is one of the few elite offensive geniuses who can score from almost anywhere on the court.

Dame's offensive firepower has helped him average 24.7 points throughout his career. He has the ability to score in bundles and hit clutch shots whenever his team needs him to. Going by his averages in the last two seasons, Lillard is all set to average at least 29 points during the 2021-22 season.

He's now in second place in the team's all-time point-scorers list, 1226 points behind Clyde Drexler. Considering his career average and form in the past few seasons, he could surpass Drexler, firmly placing himself as the franchise's all-time leading scorer.