NBA insider drops Damian Lillard rumor Blazers fans will love

NBA insider Jake Fischer reports that Damian Lillard recently had an incredible shooting session in Portland.

"Damian Lillard got out on the floor in Portland, too, and was just blistering from deep in a shooting drill," Fischer said on a Bleacher Report livestream. "These guys are all just able to come back from this stuff, [it's a] much simpler process than it used to be."

Lillard suffered his brutal Achilles tear during a playoff game on April 27, meaning it hasn't even been half a year since the injury. Given the severity, timing, and Lillard's age, it's amazing he's even back out shooting on the court at all, nonetheless "blistering from deep." That's a particularly encouraging sign because shooting has been the most significant concern surrounding Lillard's return to form.

Will Damian Lillard return to form?

Kobe Bryant was around the same age as Lillard when he tore his Achilles and shot below 30% from beyond the arc once he returned. Kevin Durant, who also suffered the same injury, mentioned the difficulty of getting your range back on the Mind The Game podcast.

"Your game and your body are going to change for sure. I'm telling people, with Dame, he shoots a lot of those deep threes. When you tear your Achilles, your calf muscle goes to nothing. You sit around for three months and you can't move your calf," Durant said. "My right is smaller than my left, but that's just from not using it for that four to five months. It's completely shut down. So that's most of the work is getting that calf back bigger and stronger."

Durant is an excellent blueprint for Lillard to follow; he is one of the exceptions as a player who largely returned to form following this injury. But that wasn't because it didn't affect him; it's because he learned how to refine his game and adapt to what his body was allowing him to work with at the time. That's something he thinks these players like Jayson Tatum and Lillard will have to embrace, too.

"I think that's going to be the adjustment for him. Those deep threes that both of those guys shoot. They shoot a lot of those stepback threes. I was shooting those before I was 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 for me to do those moves," Durant said.

Even if Lillard's signature stepback isn't what it used to be, it's encouraging that he's already back knocking down shots. He'd still provide a boost as a playmaker and spot-up shooter for a Blazers offense in dire need of both.

Despite this promising update, Lillard expects to miss the entire season as he takes a patient rehab approach. He has been adamant that he will return to the same level of play before injury, and this is a step in the right direction towards making that a reality.

For now, Blazers fans will have to wait for Dame Time. But if this recent shooting session is any indication, it'll be well worth the wait.