LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 13: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers falls while chasing the ball against Caris LeVert #22 of the Brooklyn Nets in the second half at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 13, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
(Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images)

Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard believes Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert will step up his game next season.

Portland Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard continues to praise Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert. On Thursday night, Lillard partook in a Q&A with the fans on Twitter.

A fan asked Lillard which NBA player he believes will “make a leap” next season and Lillard dropped LeVert’s name.

LeVert, as well as the Nets fanbase, must be excited to hear a player as great as Lillard express such feelings of confidence in the Brooklyn youngster. However, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone.

On Aug. 13, the Trail Blazers took on the Nets with the goal of qualifying for the playoffs. Portland ended up winning 134-133, but LeVert was excellent, as he had been throughout his time in the bubble. That caught Lillard’s eye.

In his postgame interview, Lillard said, “Caris LeVert is cold…He’s a great player, so he’s going to find a way to be effective… he lived in the paint. He finished, he made tough shots. He was crafty, he was creative all night”.

It’s become quite clear that Lillard thinks very highly of LeVert.

LeVert was named to the “All-Bubble” second team, after averaging 25 points, 6.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in six seeding games. If the world didn’t know about LeVert before the bubble, that changed quickly.

He’s proven that he at least deserves to be given a chance to earn the title of “Brooklyn’s third star,” and words of admiration from the likes of Lillard back that up.

We’ll have to wait and see if Lillard’s prediction manifests. If it does, the Nets are going to be a serious, serious problem.

Leen has written about the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and international soccer. She is currently the primary NHL writer for ESNY. Leen's work has been featured on Bleacher Report and she was formerly a contributor for FanSided's New York Mets blog, Rising Apple. She is a co-host of the Yankees-Mets Express podcast.