Damian Lillard just sent a message that should terrify the rest of the league

Damian Lillard just sent the league a reminder of his elite shooting, sharing on his Instagram story a photo showing he made 1,000 of 1,090 (92%) of his shots.

Coming off a torn Achilles, the question surrounding Lillard's anticipated return to Portland was whether he'd return to form. Shooting in particular is something Achilles tears tend to negatively impact, making it particularly concerning for Lillard, given that's the most significant strength that's made him a top-75 NBA player of all time.

Although Lillard has sat out the entire season as he continues a patient rehab approach, he's already addressed some of those concerns.

Damian Lillard proves he's still an elite shooter after Achilles tear

First, it was taking home yet another 3-Point Contest trophy. Lillard beat out Devin Booker in the final round, making history as one of three players to win three contests alongside Larry Bird and Craig Hodges.

Between that and this recent Instagram story, it's clear the Blazers are getting their elite shooter back. That's going to be a huge boost for Portland's playoff chances, especially since they are currently tied with the Sacramento Kings for the league's lowest three-point shooting efficiency at 34%.

That said, we must temper expectations for Lillard's return, given his age (35) and the severity of the injury. In all likelihood, he'll provide the Blazers' offense with much-needed shooting and playmaking, but it might be unrealistic to expect the same level of shot creation and offensive initiation.

What will Lillard's role look like in Portland?

Kevin Durant spoke about Jayson Tatum and Lillard reaching out about his experience recovering from his Achilles tear. Overall, Durant is optimistic about their outlook, but adds that their game will have to adapt as their body changes.

"With Dame, he shoots a lot of those deep threes... So that's going to be the adjustment for them, those deep threes that both of those guys shoot. They shoot a lot of tough step-back threes," Durant said on an episode of the Mind the Game podcast. "I was shooting those before I got injured, and I fine-tuned my game to take some of that stuff out... I didn't truly have enough power in my right leg yet in order for me to do those moves."

We may see a different role for Lillard when he returns, as Portland could use him more off-ball and in catch-and-shoot scenarios. The Blazers will have to reevaluate that after seeing Lillard's return to game action and how much the ability to create separation or get lift on his patented deep step-back threes is affected. The fact that he's sat out the entire season should bode well for his chances, and at the very least, we know he's still capable of giving this Blazers offense much-needed floor spacing.

It's also reassuring that Portland isn't overly reliant on Lillard returning to form. This is a much different roster than the one he had during his first stint in Rip City. They don't need him to be that go-to option, as they've already become a borderline playoff team without their star.

If they can simply implement him into the offense as a complementary piece, that's already going to be enough to get this team over the postseason hump.