The Portland Trail Blazers sit atop the Western Conference with a 6-1 record going into Friday's NBA Cup matchup against the second-placed Los Angeles Lakers. Hours before the 10 p.m. EST tip-off, a Hall of Fame point guard revealed that he's a true believer in what Portland is doing this year.

During the latest segment of “NBA on ESPN,” Jason Kidd shares his two cents about the Blazers' early success. Kidd claims he saw the high caliber of play coming all along, and credits Damian Lillard for ensuring that Deni Avdija takes over as the team's leader. Overall, the former point guard, head coach, and now analyst likes the Blazers' chances to make noise in the Western Conference.

“I think when you talk about Dame and just his leadership and understanding,” Kidd said. “I thought he said something incredible the other day about Avdija, like, ‘He's our horse. We're here to support him. You go, we will follow.' And so, as a leader, [Lillard's] taking a step back, but he understands that the leader on the court is Avdija.”

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Lillard and Avdija have given the Blazers a solid one-two punch that's been difficult for opponents to stop. The team is playing a unique brand of basketball that runs through Avdija, as the 25-year-old has emerged as Portland's top player. His style of play opens up the floor for the shooters, which makes Lillard a perfect fit for Avdija's game.

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Damian Lillard's first year back with the Blazers has been stellar so far. While giving up the leadership role to Deni Avdija, the 14-year veteran is still averaging 20.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 42.0% from the floor and 31.7% from beyond the three-point line.

As for Avdija, the Israeli native is proving to be one of the most prolific forwards in the NBA. He enters Friday's contest against the Lakers averaging 23.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. He's recording those numbers while owning a 47.8% field goal percentage and hitting 31.6% of his three-point attempts.