When Damian Lillard tore his left Achilles tendon during the playoffs two seasons ago, he recalls that a television pundit said the injury would be the end of his career.
Never doubt Dame.
Lillard returns this season for the Portland Trail Blazers after spending some 16 months rehabbing the injury he sustained while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I remember the night that I did it. Came back to my house and I was looking at the highlights from the rest
of the playoff games. And I remember, I was watching one of the shows on TV, and they was like, ‘This is the last of Dame Lillard as we know it,’” Lillard said. “Right then that just kind of turned me up, you know. Not because I feel like I need to prove something, but like I’m somebody that gets up and I’m gonna fight the fight every time.”
Lillard, signed a three-year, $42 million deal to rejoin the Blazers in July 2025 after spending two seasons with the Bucks. The nine-time All-Star had spent the first 11 seasons of his career with Portland, which selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.
Lillard averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists in his final season with the Bucks, but he played only 58 games because of deep vein thrombosis. He injured his Achilles tendon during Milwaukee's first-round playoff series against Indiana.
Lillard joins a team in transition. Tiago Splitter, the coach who took over last season after Chauncey Billups was arrested in a federal gambling probe and led the Blazers to the playoffs, moved on to the Chicago Bulls, and Portland hired former Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori.
The Blazers are also adjusting to the ownership style of Tom Dundon, who took over before the end of last season. Over the summer, the team laid off more than 70 staffers.
The Blazers traded for Ja Morant in the offseason, giving them a fourth point guard along with Lillard, Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday. There's been speculation about how Morant, a two-time All-Star seeking a fresh start, and Lillard, the Blazers' all-time leading scorer, will coexist in Portland's backcourt.
During the team's first preseason game this month, a 123-118 victory over Golden State, Lillard and Morant each logged 19 minutes, with Lillard scoring 15 points and Morant contributing eight points and five assists.
Lillard is unconcerned about roles, maintaining there will be more options for the Blazers and more challenges for opponents.
“If I get the ball and I’m advancing the ball ahead to Ja Morant, I feel pretty good about it. And if I’m advancing the ball to Deni Avdija, I feel good about it. And for both of those guys, if they are attacking the rim, attacking the paint, and they’re kicking the ball out to me for the 3-pointer, I think they should feel great about that,” Lillard said. “So, for all of us, if we are just doing the right thing, playing the right way, it’ll be a lot of opportunity where that presents itself.”
Morant has averaged 22.4 points for his career but has played only 79 games over the last three seasons because of injuries and suspensions, including a 25-game ban for flashing a gun on a livestream.
The 27-year-old Morant said he's hoping for a fresh start and wants to prove the doubters wrong, much like Lillard. The two have mutual respect, with Morant praising Lillard for his leadership and work ethic.
“My job is to just try to make his job easier,” Morant said. “Try to take some of the, you know, problems or doubles away from him. Take some of those looks, give him easier looks, and with how he’s shooting the ball. I don’t think that’s a problem at all.”
Lillard, with career averages of 25.1 points and 6.7 assists, said he feels fully healthy after the extended time off.
At the same time, at 36, he doesn't feel like he has to carry the Blazers as much as he did earlier in his career.
“I’m capable of doing whatever I need to do. But at this stage, I don’t think I need to kill myself in the regular season, trying to play 37, 36, 35 minutes if it’s unnecessary,” he said. “You know, we've got a lot of guards. We got a lot of ability at the guard position, and I don’t think it should be necessary for me to have to play 35 minutes. But to answer your question, I’m definitely able to to play however many minutes I need to play and I'm prepared to.”
___
See AP’s full NBA coverage here
