Blazers news: Damian Lillard's secret to relationship with CJ McCollum

With the undermanned Blazers playing as one of the best in the NBA, the team is close to having CJ McCollum rejoin the roster alongside Damian Lillard.

With the Portland Trail Blazers playing as one of the best teams in the NBA, the team is close to having CJ McCollum rejoin the roster alongside Damian Lillard. When the two are healthy and on the court together, they are arguably the best longstanding backcourt duo in the league. Between Lillard's leadership and McCollum's elite scoring ability, opposing teams have a hard time defending Portland altogether.

Recently, Lillard was asked about how the two of them work so well together. Considering they have relatively similar playing styles, one would think they'd clash. Instead, the Blazers backcourt works together seemingly like synchronized divers complimenting the other. It seems that building a true friendship has been the secret to their success all along, per NBC Sports.

“I would naturally think of his opinion and what he says to me, you know, on a different level,” the Blazers' star explained. “We've had that agreement since my fourth year, in his third year, when we started in the backcourt together that, I'm gonna hear you out. You yell at me, I'm gonna hear you out. You cuss me out, I'm gonna hear you out. You demand something of me, I'm gonna hear you out.”

The two Blazers stars obviously respect each other to a point of understanding. They have the freedom to communicate freely with each other during games without someone becoming upset, which is something we see a lot of superstar players struggle with in the NBA. This unique dialogue between Portland's star guards is why this team has been successful every season.

“There’s been times where he's like D, shoot the f***ing ball, stop doing this, stop doing that, and I be like alright, or he’ll yell at me from the bench, or I’ll yell at him,” Lillard said. “Like C, in transition, you got to see me on the opposite side. He be like alright, I got you, and it's a situation like that.”

McCollum will be returning shortly for Portland, and when he does, you can expect him to enter the Blazers rotation smoothly and get the ball rolling right off the bat.