Damian Lillard will be taking the court the next time the Portland Trail Blazers play basketball. These are exciting times in Portland, not just from a feel-good story standpoint, but also from a basketball standpoint. This season without Lillard showed how desperately Portland's offense needs his playmaking, floor spacing, and overall star power.
The Blazers made their first postseason appearance in five years and have aspirations of building on that next season. That could come from a summer blockbuster trade under the new, aggressive owner, Tom Dundon. But even if Portland remains surprisingly quiet this offseason, they'll be getting a drastic upgrade with Lillard's return.
Damian Lillard is a potential star returning from injury
At 35 years old, coming off such a brutal Achilles tear, it's fair to question whether Lillard will return to form. But he's a top-75 all-time player; even a 90 percent version of peak Lillard is going to give the Blazers a major boost.
It's not just the skillset, it's the perfect fit for what Portland needs. Fortunately, they don't need to rely on Lillard so heavily as a primary offensive initiator; that role suddenly belongs to Avdija, who embraced a point-forward role in the Blazers' offense.
Lillard believes he's the second-best shooter of all time behind Stephen Curry. He's already proven his spot-up shooting remains elite post-injury, as evidenced by his third 3-Point Contest victory this season. That reliable floor spacing is going to do wonders for Avdija's game, potentially unlocking yet another level we've yet to see from Portland's newest All-Star.
"Me and Dame had conversations throughout the year," Avdija said at his exit interview. "He has a lot of things we need. We both have mutual goals, and we love each other's games. I think we can do great things together, for sure."
Damian Lillard could be the co-star Deni Avdija needs
Avdija is continuing his evolution from role player wing to go-to option as a jumbo guard. He still has areas to improve on, such as developing a more reliable left hand and limiting turnovers. But the fact that Avdija had this All-Star campaign within Portland's offense, which didn't do him any favors given such limited floor-spacing options, is actually encouraging.
He's one of the best in the league at getting downhill, utilizing his rare combination of size, physicality, ballhandling, and finishing to be a matchup nightmare for defenses. That wasn't fully utilized this season, as teams could double-team Avdija in the paint and send help defenders without facing repercussions.
Avdija ranked in the top ten in potential assists, and with Lillard, Portland will be able to convert on more of those opportunities. Teams will face a pick-your-position situation, leaving Avdija in one-on-one coverage where he's impossible to contain, or helping off one of the best shooters of all time.
Portland already has the formula to be a strong defensive team, but it's the offense that will determine this team's true playoff ceiling. If they can get a healthy Lillard back to take some of the offensive burden off Avdija, even in a co-star capacity, Portland is going to be a serious threat out West next year.
It's an exciting time in Rip City, as fans eagerly await the return of their franchise icon. And fortunately, Lillard's return is aligning perfectly with a young core that has just proven they're ready for postseason basketball.
Add us as a preferred source on Google