Usually, players can’t wait for the All-Star break. For those who are selected to participate in the myriad of events during All-Star Weekend, it’s an opportunity to rub elbows with some of the most elite names in sports and entertainment. And for the players and coaches who are not a part of the festivities, they’re afforded a chance to spend upwards of a week resting and relaxing, usually somewhere warm and sunny, before the start of the stretch run of the NBA season.

But for Damian Lillard, who will play for the team captained by Stephen Curry at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, the break comes at a bit of an unfortunate time. While he could certainly use the rest and is ecstatic at making the All-Star team for the third time in his career, the stretch of games immediately preceding the break was the best three-game run of his career.

In fact, the 44.3 points on 55 percent shooting that he averaged in games versus the Kings, Jazz and Warriors is the most any Trail Blazers has ever scored over a three-game period, which has helped the team stay in the thick of a Western Conference playoff race in which the just 3.5 games separate 3rd-place from 9th-place.

So while a chance to get over a week of rest is never a bad thing for any player at this time of the season, especially for one who shoulders the kind of load for his team that Lillard does, there's probably a small part of him that would like to keep playing games that actually count.

"It’s a tight race, it’s a lot of teams in the mix," said Lillard after Portland's 123-117 win versus the Warriors in their final game before the All-Star break. "You get to the point in the season where guys are fatigued physically and mentally and to be a leader of a team, you’ve got to be willing to lead the charge and not just by saying it, it has to be your actions. I feel like that’s just who I am."

But Lillard is also the kind of guy who likes to be recognized for the his hard work and perseverance, so there's never really a bad time for him to assume his place among the best players in the NBA at All-Star Weekend, especially after missing out on the mid-season exhibition the last two years.

"I think this one is a little bit different because I'm on a different team with a different role on this team, so I kind of had to go get it, I had to wait my turn," said Lillard. "This one is different but they've all been special."

Though he's not competing in five events like he did during the 2014 All-Star Weekend in New Orleans, he'll stay plenty busy in Los Angeles between appearances for adidas -- the three BAPE colorways of the Lillard's signature sneaker, the Dame 4, are arguably the most sought-after sneakers being released during All-Star Weekend -- Spalding and JBL, serving as an ambassador for Special Olympics and playing in the game on Sunday. In the past, Lillard might have crammed as any events into his schedule as possible and lamented at his lack of playing time during the actual All-Star Game. But this time around, he's much more relaxed both in terms of his off-court obligations and his on-court expectations.

"You don't control how much time you get on the floor," said Lillard, who will be at the mercy of Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni. "I think my attitude and my vibe will be different than the first two (All-Star games). I'm much older now. I think it'll be just different. Before, I was there with vets and people that I had all this respect for and I knew that my time would be limited. And now it still might, but I'm just in a different place mentally."

You would think that, with the run he's been on leading into the All-Star break, it would be easy to find Lillard minutes on Sunday night, though he's not concerned either way. In the past, perhaps he might have felt the need to prove himself, though that's no longer the case. Now, in his third All-Star appearance and coming on the heels of a ridiculous stretch of scoring, he can relax knowing there's no question that he belongs.

"Just going to have a good time," said Lillard. "I've been there and I think this time, being on the west coast, good weather, fun city, I'm just going to go have a good time and enjoy the festivities and being a part of it."