Damian Lillard is 36 years old, coming off a gap year to recover from a torn Achilles. In years past, that would likely have been a career-ending injury, or at the very least a career-derailing one. Instead, Lillard has largely returned close to form -- maybe 85 percent of the same player he once was, if I had to give an early-season estimate.
We now have an 11-game sample size, during which the Blazers are 8-3, including recent back-to-back wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder. This team looks like a dark horse contender to start the season. They're playing significantly better basketball than last year's 42-win team that was a seven seed in the West.
There are other reasons for that beyond Lillard's return, whether it's internal improvement in their young core or Micah Nori acing his first-year audition and even making a strong Coach of the Year case early on. Still, the biggest change from last year is that the star power on this roster has raised the team's ceiling.
Damian Lillard's return is raising the Blazers' ceiling
Credit general manager Joe Cronin for the bold Ja Morant trade, as it has certainly added more talent to this roster. Even better, it looks like a better-than-advertised fit with Morant in the backcourt before his injury. Still, the Blazers continue to find ways to win games in Morant's absence.
After the early-season injuries, Nori has talked about how much of a blessing it turned out to be that Cronin ultimately kept their backcourt logjam intact. That depth is becoming a strength of this roster, with an essentially interchangeable backcourt that can step in for another thanks to their versatility and selflessness.
Most importantly, the top-end talent is closing the gap in the Western Conference contenders. We just saw that play out in those back-to-back wins against the Thunder. Deni Avdija continues to improve, building on last year's All-Star campaign. Lillard is also stepping up as that co-star that Portland was missing last season, raising their ceiling.
He's averaging 19.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per game. The shooting splits aren't great by his standards at just 43/33/87. But we also must consider there's going to be rust for someone who sat out an entire year (besides the 3-Point Contest he managed to win).
The record speaks for itself with Lillard as this team's secondary playmaker alongside Avdija. His stats aren't quite what they used to be, but this is also a new off-ball role he's embraced. They're asking him to do less than he ever has in his career. That's a good sign of the talent Portland has finally surrounded him with in his second stint, largely thanks to the pieces acquired when they sent him to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first place.
They may still lack an elite superstar compared to teams like the Thunder, but the pieces they do have fit together so well. Lillard is a huge part of that roster formula; they wouldn't have the same ceiling without him.
It's that secondary playmaking, the floor spacing, the clutch shot-making. Even just the aura of him being back in that Blazers jersey, hitting vintage shots from the logo against the Thunder. You can finally feel the energy back at the Moda Center, and the players are feeding off it to fuel this start.
It doesn't seem like a fluke, either. This team is legit, and the roster balance they've found is the most surprising part. Between his fit and return to form, Lillard's first season back is raising the ceiling and making me about to say some crazy things.
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