The Portland Trail Blazers just defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder on back-to-back nights, despite some pretty good performances by reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Anyone who saw the games, at least from a Portland perspective, would have recognized a familar feeling. In the first, SGA was trying to take over, at least semi-successfully. Then out of the wings stepped a superhero, hitting three after three with steely confidence. In the second, the same deus ex machina character appeared
in the fourth, with the score tight and the game on the line, pushing Portland’s point total higher with timely shots that barely seemed to miss.
That semi-unrealistic, “this could never happen in real life” character was, of course, Damian Lillard. The Blazers are 8-3 since he returned to active duty this season. His contributions—often with accompanying heroics—have played a huge part.
After the rush of those games (and Dame’s part in them) I find myself asking a question that I didn’t think would come up seriously in The Year of Our Lord, 2026: is Lillard really the Greatest Trail Blazer of All Time?
Honestly, when we asked this before years ago, the sentiment leaned slightly towards Clyde Drexler or Bill Walton because of their team accomplishments. But a player can only work with what he’s been given. Lillard only had LaMarcus Aldridge at the beginning of his career. After that he lacked the Maurice Lucas, Terry Porter, Buck Williams, Jerome Kersey wingmen that Drexler and Walton had. (CJ McCollum was great! But he was primarily a scorer, like Lillard.) There’s no doubt that Lillard is making a huge difference to his team. There’s also no doubting the feeling in Blazers fans’ hearts when they see him operate.
So let’s throw it open today. Would you say Lillard is the Greatest Blazer Ever now, based on his return? If not, what would it take in order to push him over the top? Share in the comments section below!
