Hornets star LaMelo Ball began the 2024-25 NBA season on a tear with his stellar play. He turned the heads of many, including former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins. The 11-year veteran placed Ball over the likes of Bucks superstar Damian Lillard. At the time, the comment caused a widespread reaction. However, Lillard’s teammate, Bobby Portis was in disbelief at Cousins’ statement.
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Portis made a guest appearance on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back, the same show Cousins made his hot take. Chandler Parsons was eager to hear Portis’ reaction to Cousins’ claims. To nobody’s surprise, the Bucks big man stood behind his star point guard. He said,
“I’m not rolling, man. Dame is just different man. It’s the dynamic… This is what, LaMelo Ball’s fifth or sixth year in the league? This is Dame’s 13th. He got a long way before he could get to Dame Lillard’s level, but he could definitely reach it.”
Bobby Portis disagrees with @boogiecousins picking LaMelo Ball over Damian Lillard 😳
“Dame's (on the NBA Top 75 list.)…LaMelo's got a long way before he get to @Dame_Lillard's level.” – @BPortistime
📺 https://t.co/7ZYaHZWFRQ@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/qD4jOE6OiQ
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 9, 2024
Despite Portis’ initial shock after hearing Cousins’ comments, he provided a well-formulated response. He didn’t discredit anything Ball has been able to accomplish but highlighted the magnitude of what Lillard accomplished as the deciding factor.
Cousin’s bold claim came at the height of Ball’s dominance. However, shortly after, he suffered a calf injury, which will keep him sidelined for at least two months. Unfortunately, that’s been the story of Ball’s career thus far.
LaMelo’s only played in at least 70 games once in his career, while Lillard’s reached that feat eight times. Additionally, the eight-time All-Star has played in 82 games three times in his career. As a result, Lillard’s impact on the game far exceeds that of LaMelo’s according to Portis.
However, Portis is high on LaMelo’s talents as a basketball player. Although he doesn’t believe he’s on Lillard’s level yet, he isn’t ruling out the possibility of him eventually getting there. It’ll take some time until Ball is officially in that conversation. Especially considering at 34 years old, Lillard is still torching the league.
Damian Lillard’s successful 2024-25 NBA season
Lillard’s first season with the Bucks didn’t go as expected but he’s turned this around this year. His chemistry alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo is better than ever. In addition, he’s found his groove reminiscent of his years as a Trail Blazer.
The 6-foot-2 star is back to being a 25+ point-per-game scorer. On the season, Lillard is averaging 25.7 points per game, while tallying a significantly lower usage rate than Ball. LaMelo currently has the highest usage rate in the league at 40.9%, while Lillard is at 32.1%.
His ability to produce at an efficient level as a secondary star has elevated him as a great co-star to Antetokounmpo. Lillard’s improvement in play is a major reason the Bucks have turned their season around and now sit at the sixth seed in the East.
