The Portland Trail Blazers are looking to do something special this year. They made serious strides as an organization last year, and this summer, they made some big moves. Namely, they traded for Ja Morant. But one of their biggest moves came from inside the house: They got Damian Lillard back from injury.
After missing the entirety of last season with an Achilles injury, Lillard has come back with a vengeance this year. He’s been one of the best players on the Blazers. Despite some relatively disappointing years with the Milwaukee Bucks, Lillard looks great again. It just goes to show how important fit is in the NBA.
You can throw together as much talent as you want, but if the fit doesn’t work and the auxiliary pieces aren’t there, it won’t matter.
For Damian Lillard, in particular, nothing is more important than fit
When the Bucks traded for Lillard, it felt like they were making a panic move. There was a chance that Giannis Antetokounmpo was going to leave in free agency, so they needed to act.
And after two injury-plagued playoff runs ended in ugly defeats, the Bucks sprung into action. They traded Jrue Holiday – one of their core pieces and, at the time, an All-Star – to Portland in a deal for Lillard.
Obviously, Holiday ended up going to the Boston Celtics, and they won a championship that year. Meanwhile, the Lillard seasons in Milwaukee weren’t great.
He and Antetokounmpo never developed elite chemistry. Injury issues persisted. The depth in Milwaukee didn’t live up to expectations. It was a mess, and Lillard’s reputation took a hit.
The star point guard went from a guy making a max contract to getting waived to signing a three-year, $42 million deal with the Blazers two summers ago.
It was unclear how good Lillard would look post-Achilles injury. A lot of that had to do with the injury itself, but the pre-injury concerns were there. Was Lillard reaching the decline of his career?
Well, Lillard certainly isn’t the same guy who was racking up All-NBA appearances and churning out historical seasons in Portland. But he’s still great. He’s one of the leaders of the Blazers’ offense this year. A big reason they are one of the best teams in the West.
The fit didn’t work out in Milwaukee. But it looks pretty darn good in Portland so far. Maybe Lillard was never the biggest problem. Maybe, all along, it was just the fit.
Now, Lillard is playing next to a plethora of other creators. Great depth pieces. Elite defenders across the board. So far, a relatively healthy team. It's a great situation for him. And at this point in his career, that's what he needs.
Add us as a preferred source on Google