Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, and Trae Young are three major names in the NBA, all match winners, but an engaging debate on social media saw fans look at the trio and decide who they would start, bench, and cut.
Taking to Twitter, ESPN posed the question of who fans would start, bench, or cut and the responses, safe to say, was intriguing.
While Lillard was a starter for the majority, Morant and Young’s positions toggled. Here are some of the reactions from NBA fans:
Start. Bench. Cut.
GO 🤔 pic.twitter.com/UOGuwnSgjP
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 1, 2022
Start Dame
Bench Ja
Cut Trae https://t.co/QbhSOeYkbY
— $ (@nauti999) October 1, 2022
Stat Dame
Bench Ja
Cut Tray 🤮🤮 https://t.co/y76OsQ4gzS
— paulothesparrow 🏴☠️ (@paulothesparrow) October 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/IrritatedPanda_/status/1576107611543306240
Hard one. I think I'm gonna start with Dame. Bench Ja. Cut Trae. https://t.co/m2TCpLVUYn
— No Name (@Bionic_Placebo) October 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/ProjectKeyyy/status/1576089071037739009
Start trae bench ja trade dame https://t.co/glzcX9aVYY
— Coach TJ (@GabbydaddyTj) October 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/Jacob43443321/status/1576054278258495488
Start Ja, never play the other two. https://t.co/9Ndj8UFZqx
— 👽 (@GeoAintShit) October 1, 2022
Oh this is a good one…
Start: Dame
Bench: Ja
Cut: Trae
There’s a good argument for all three but I’m basing it on that dawg in each of them. Dame and Ja just have a different demeanor & attitude on court. More of a real toughness than Trae. Gimme that. https://t.co/nBD6X4yU56
— Ben Sig (@sig_50) October 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/IC3INMYV3INSSSS/status/1576053889300058112https://twitter.com/N0TCN0N2/status/1576048668209164289https://twitter.com/lordroyaltyx/status/1576031771015098368
This one is tough!! But imma go start Dame,,, bench Ja.. and cut Trae 🥴 https://t.co/VhXo6k5d3E
— 🦇 MAN (@ZoLoSMACKED) October 1, 2022
I’ll take Trae and JA over Dame 💯 because dame has been in the game for decade and have not done anything yet. https://t.co/xAje2qFpQl
— soslamy23 (@susan1234456789) October 1, 2022
Much of the comments were about cutting the Atlanta Hawks star, while Lillard’s clutch play and Morant’s meteoric rise in the league had their fans rooting for them.
How Did Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, and Trae Young Fare Last Season?
Starting off with Lillard, an abdominal injury limited the Portland Trail Blazers point guard to just 29 games where he averaged 24.0 points, 7.3 assists, and 4.1 rebounds.
Morant was one of the breakout stars last season notching up 27.4 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds in 57 games, while also selected to play his first All-Star game. Young fared better than the duo with 28.4 points, and 9.7 assists, but was short in the rebounds section averaging 3.7 in the last year.
On the topic of Lillard, much of the discussion was about his future with the Blazers, and he eventually ended up staying. Per a Yahoo Sports report, he explained the reason behind his decision to turn out for the franchise:
“Clyde Drexler wanted to see me win in Portland. But he told me to do what I had to do to be happy. He also said, ‘Hold the organization accountable.’ And at that time, I was thinking I would hate to come this close and miss out on that opportunity to pass Drexler if I was to leave. I mean, I’m right there. I definitely thought about it, but I never really believed I would be leaving Portland. It ended up all working out.”
With all three stars all set to prove a point, there’s every reason to believe that their teams will make a playoff bid and beyond in the upcoming season.
