Damian Lillard has consistently expressed confidence in his ability to return to form following his brutal Achilles injury -- the same mindset that carried him throughout his career, from two-star recruit at Weber State to arguably the best Blazer of all time. However, others around the league aren't quite as optimistic.
ESPN's Jamal Collier recently published an article detailing what's next for Lillard now that he's back with the Portland Trail Blazers. Collier touches on Lillard's trade request in 2023, his return to the Blazers, and what his post-Achilles career could look like.
According to Collier, an Eastern Conference coach believes the "biggest thing for him will be the mental hurdle," suggesting that Lillard must embrace a different role when he returns. "He's been used to doing it one way his whole career, but he may have to get over not being the primary ball handler."
An Eastern Conference executive also shared a similar belief: "He may need to play a role like Mike Conley. Let someone else bring the ball up, and then be a secondary creator and vet on the floor. It's a tough thing to get over mentally."
Lillard's return raises questions about fit with Blazers' young core
It's too early to know what exactly Lillard's role will be in the Blazers' offense, but things will be different than his first stint in Portland. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Blazers could never get past the Western Conference Finals with Lillard, primarily due to his poor supporting cast. They finally have complementary pieces in place, whether it's players they acquired from trading him (Toumani Camara and later, Deni Avdija) or up-and-coming guards Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
Last season with the Bucks, Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.7 rebounds on 45/38/92 shooting splits. Going from that to a Conley-like role would be a significant decline, as the Timberwolves veteran had just 8.2 points and 4.5 assists this past season. While we don't envision Lillard's numbers dropping to that extent, it does put things in perspective regarding expectations for his return.
Portland doesn't have an Anthony Edwards; their lack of star power makes the offensive hierarchy much blurrier than Minnesota's clear-cut roles. Depending on his recovery, that could leave the door open for Lillard to return as a focal point. But at the same time, the Blazers already had to decide between Lillard and their young core in 2023, and they picked Henderson.
The Blazers want to win now, but they want to win because of their youth. The silver lining from Lillard's injury is that it gives Portland an entire year to see what they have in Henderson before determining any backcourt roles.