Damian Lillard has been playing possibly the best basketball of his career this year and particularly since the All-Star break.

The Portland Trail Blazers star has inspired his team to an 11-game winning streak and an unexpected spot in third place in the Western Conference.

Over this 11-game winning stretch, the point guard has put up almost 33 points, four rebounds and six assists and has elevated his game to a new level.

He's the hottest player on the hottest team right now and the rest of the NBA is finally taking notice.

Lillard has often been frustrated by not getting the recognition he deserves and recently stated that he believes he's as good as any player in his position.

The 27-year-old has probably been slightly underrated during his time in the league, despite putting up huge numbers year in and year out.

But nobody can ignore what he's doing for the Blazers now and how he's leading his team to new heights.

After he torched the New York Knicks for 37 points last week, their head coach Jeff Hornacek said he deserves to be in the MVP contention and this was echoed by the Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra after he dropped 32 on them on Monday.

Spoelstra went on to say: “I don’t know if there is any other player in this league right now that is playing at a higher level than Lillard.”

Ahead of their meeting in Portland on Thursday night, LeBron James became the latest person to heap praise on the three-time All-Star and explained where he stands in the NBA.

"I think we all know how Damian Lillard has been playing as of late," James said, per USA Today's LeBron Wire. "I mean he's playing at the All-Star level that he showed obviously when he was at the All-Star game.

"That guy's a superstar in our league and he's showing it right now. He's leading the team obviously where I don't think a lot of people thought they'd be at the beginning of the season. But him as the leader of the team he has them in position to fight in the West."

Lillard is probably one of the most underappreciated stars in the league but James loves the way he uses it as motivation and says this wouldn't be the case if they were on the same team.

“He definitely uses that. I don’t think he is that. If you’re a true basketball mind, and there’s not a lot of true basketball people that understand the game, but for me I understand, it I know. Give me Damian Lillard, I’ll show you how appreciated he’ll be,” he said.

'Dame Dolla' posted 24 points, three rebounds and nine assists in a 113-105 win over the Cavaliers on Thursday night to keep their impressive winning run going.

In this form, both Lillard and the Blazers will be a tough matchup for any team in the playoffs.

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