Damian Lillard Appears Ready to Propel Trail Blazers in Comeback Season
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. After suffering a brutal injury in the 2024-25 NBA season, Damian Lillard is gearing up for his comeback with his former team, the Portland Trail Blazers.
While a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, Lillard suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Game 4 of a first-round 2025 NBA Playoffs series against the Indiana Pacers. That led to the Bucks waiving Lillard in July 2025 and the nine-time All-Star signing a deal with Portland about two weeks later.
He was out all of last season while recovering from and rehabbing his injury. He's now looking ahead to a fresh start after a failed attempt to win a championship while paired with two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and putting the league on notice ahead of his return to the court.
On Thursday, the NBA revealed that his first official regular-season game in Portland is on Oct. 21 against the Phoenix Suns. That may give fans their first look at whether he has returned to form. All expectations are that Lillard can still play at a high level, but one never knows.
Lillard built up quite the resume with Portland during the first 11 years of his NBA career, including winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2013, making the All-NBA First Team once in 2018, and earning seven of his All-Star selections.
With his return to play for the Trail Blazers, a previous podcast clip resurfaced online in which he sent out a strong warning to opponents.
"They'll never give me credit for what I've actually done, unless I actually come out here and win the championship in Portland, and they better hope that don't happen," he said during a "Point Forward" podcast episode several years ago.
"They better pray I don't win a championship for the Blazers … They don't know that side," Lillard said.
More recently, a TikTok video of Lillard in the gym spotlighted him pulling off nifty moves to drive for layups and knocking down 3s with opponents guarding him. Based on this video, he certainly looks ready for that comeback, but he'll face tough competition in the coming season.
The healthy version of Lillard joins a squad that already has plenty of talent, including big man Donovan Clingan and forward Deni Avdija. This offseason, they acquired former NBA All-Star Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies to pair with Lillard in the backcourt.
So how far can Lillard propel this Trail Blazers squad? Several days ago, ESPN's NBA insider, Brian Windhors t, said that he believes Portland will at least reach the NBA Play-In Tournament, but he doesn't think they'll win more than 43 games.
There are always concerns and questions when an athlete returns to play after such a rough injury. Can they return to their previous level or close to it? Lillard will be one of several All-Star players returning from brutal injuries, with the Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton also making his comeback this coming season.
These players have both remained dedicated to their rehabilitation efforts and appear to be back to doing what they enjoy, which could be a scary sign for opponents in the coming season.
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