A pair of newly-minted NBA All-Star point guards are mulling taking part in the Dunk Contest. John Wall has already addressed it, and Damian Lillard is said to also be considering the possibility:
Portland’s franchise player will be quite busy come All-Star Weekend. He says he expects to defend his Skills Challenge title, he’s a headliner in the Rising Stars Challenge game and the grandest of them all: he’ll be coming off the bench for the West in the All-Star game.
If you think that’s too much, CSNNW.com has received word via a league source that Lillard is considering participating in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, though Lillard refuses to comment on it. The Wizards’ John Wall is mulling over the dunk competition, too.
The reigning Rookie of the Year hasn’t missed a single game throughout his NBA career. He averaged 38.6 minutes per game last season and this season he’s at 36.0. There will obviously be concerns that he’ll tire out in New Orleans while most of the league will utilize the time to allow their bodies time to recuperate. He acknowledged that he has a busy schedule ahead of him but downplays the actual workload on the court.
“It’s not like I’m going out there playing in a real, regular season game,” Lillard explained. “I’ll play some minutes in the Rising Stars, which is not a game where people play hard. I’ll do the Skills Challenge, where I’ll be on the court for maybe two minutes, total. And the All-Star game, I’m probably not going to play a bunch of minutes. I think the off the court stuff will be more overwhelming than the on the court stuff.”
