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When Damian Lillard tore his left Achilles tendon during the playoffs two seasons ago, a television pundit declared his career finished. Lillard remembers every word of it, and he’s used that memory as fuel through a grueling rehab process that now brings him back to the court he once called home.
Lillard returns this season for the Portland Trail Blazers after roughly 16 months of rehabilitation following the injury he suffered 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 spent the first 11 seasons of his career in 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 Milwaukee, though he appeared in only 58 games due to deep vein thrombosis. He suffered the Achilles injury during the Bucks’ first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers.
A Franchise in Transition
Lillard joins a team reshaping itself from the ground up. Tiago Splitter, who took over as coach last season after Chauncey Billups was arrested in a federal gambling probe and guided the Blazers into the playoffs, departed for the Chicago Bulls. Portland responded by hiring Micah Nori, a former assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The organization is also adapting to new ownership under Tom Dundon, who assumed control before the end of last season. Over the summer, the Blazers laid off more than 70 staffers as part of a broader restructuring.
A Crowded Backcourt
Portland traded for Ja Morant in the offseason, adding a fourth point guard alongside Lillard, Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday. Speculation has swirled around how Morant, a two-time All-Star seeking a reset, and Lillard, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, will share the backcourt.
During the team’s first preseason game this month, a 123-118 victory over the Golden State Warriors, Lillard and Morant each logged 19 minutes. Lillard scored 15 points, while Morant added eight points and five assists.
Lillard brushes off concerns over roles, insisting the depth gives Portland more weapons and opponents more problems to solve.
“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 due to injuries and suspensions.
The 27-year-old guard says he’s chasing his own fresh start and hopes to silence critics the same way Lillard has set out to do. The two share mutual respect, with Morant praising Lillard’s 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’s Role Moving Forward
Lillard, who carries career averages of 25.1 points and 6.7 assists, says he feels fully healthy after the extended layoff.
At 36, he no longer feels obligated to shoulder the same workload 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 play however many minutes I need to play and I’m prepared to.”
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Portland’s backcourt experiment starts now. Stay with TipsGG for continued coverage as Lillard and the Blazers navigate a season full of questions and opportunity.