Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard heaped praise on Carmelo Anthony. For Lillard, having Anthony around has been a ‘joy' given the things that he brings to the team day in and day out.

Speaking with Rebecca Harlow of MSG Networks, Lillard broke down the things that Anthony contributes to the team. As transcribed by Isaiah De los Santos of SB Nation:

“His presence has been huge in the locker room, having another voice, another guy to speak up that people respect. When we on the floor, other teams respect him being out there. The balance that he’s giving us on the floor and off the floor has been great. It’s been a joy to have him on our team.”

Anthony is averaging 15.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. He has given the Blazers a much-needed lift on offense. They are 5-6 with Anthony — a pretty decent record considering that the Blazers were on the verge of falling off the rails before he came.

The 10-time All-Star and three-time Olympic Gold medalist looked initially lost during his first few games donning the Blazers jersey. He was literally learning the offensive sets of head coach Terry Stotts on the fly. But was he shared more floor time and practice runs with the entire team, Anthony grew comfortable with his new role.