Portland Trail Blazers fans are thrilled about Damian Lillard's return to Rip City, and rightfully so. He's arguably the best player to ever play for the franchise, and Portland was able to bring him back for relatively cheap, signing Lillard to a three-year, $42 million contract (including a player option for the 2027-28 season).
It remains to be seen if the 35-year-old sharpshooter will return to form following a brutal Achilles tear, but this will be an absolute steal for Portland if he's even close to the player he once was. However, the issue is that Lillard is taking a patient rehab approach in his quest to return to form, expected to miss the entirety of the 2025-26 season.
While that's the right decision considering the severity and timing of the injury, it does make Portland play with a man down over the course of an entire season. We are already seeing the downside of this approach, as the 6-6 Blazers have struggled with depth and injuries early on.
Blazers' roster isn't built to survive Damian Lillard's injury
The Blazers don't view rookie Yang Hansen as ready for the NBA, as evidenced by his six consecutive DNP - coach's decisions and recent G League assignment. That immediately reduces Portland's roster to 13, without accounting for any additional injuries that pop up.
That may not be a problem if they had durable and reliable rotational players, but guys like Rayan Rupert aren't ready to make an immediate impact, while veterans Matisse Thybulle and Robert Williams III have struggled to stay on the court the past few seasons.
This isn't ideal for any team, but particularly for a team with the Blazers' style of play. Portland has an established defensive identity that requires expending a ton of energy, oftentimes picking up opponents the length of the court. As a result, interim head coach Tiago Splitter has implemented quick rotations.
Even two-way players such as Caleb Love and Sidy Cissoko have already seen extended minutes to start the season despite the fact that the Blazers' group of two-way players ranks dead last in the league, according to Two-Way Talents.
The reality is that outside of Jerami Grant, they have very few reliable options to bring off the bench. Someone like Jabari Walker, who they let walk in free agency this offseason, would've gone a long way to help fill in the gaps and provide servicable minutes.
While we love the Lillard addition for several reasons, the Blazers should've factored in his gap year more into their roster construction for this season. Ultimately, it could be the very thing that prevents Portland from ending its four-year playoff drought.