Damian Lillard has been out with a torn left Achilles tendon since last year. He sustained the injury during last season’s playoffs while still playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.
This year, he is back with the Portland Trail Blazers, the same squad he led to numerous playoff wins early in his career, but only as a supporter on the sidelines while he recovers from his injury.
According to Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter, Lillard will continue to watch the game on the bench in the playoffs, shutting down any chance of the 35-year-old star’s return to the court in the postseason.
“Dame is questionable. No, I’m kidding,” Splitter told reporters. “His head is on the next season. We’ve got to be serious about it. Of course, we joke around here and there, but he has a plan, and we all have to follow that.”
Lillard was last seen on the court during the All-Star weekend’s 3-point contest, where he won for the third time, while recovering from the injury.
Lillard returned to Portland, the team that drafted him as the No. 6 pick in the 2012 draft, last July, signing a three-year $42 million contract despite still nursing the injury. The deal had a no-trade clause and a player option in the 2027-2028 season.
It was a bargain deal for the Trail Blazers after Lillard was waived by the Bucks following their first-round exit against the Indiana Pacers last year. The Bucks will continue to pay Lillard his remaining $113 million contract over five years since he was released by the team.
Lillard spent two years with Milwaukee, becoming the secondary star after Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Lillard’s signing was initially seen as a mentorship for the Blazers’ young core led by the likes of Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, and Toumani Camara. The team also has veterans such as Jrue Holiday, Jerami Grant, and Robert Williams, all of whom played in pressure-packed playoff games before.
But the young core has since given the Trail Blazers success this season, taking down the Phoenix Suns in the play-in tournament to secure the No. 7 seed in the West and book a series against the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs.
Why Damian Lillard Returned to Portland?
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Damian Lillard said his return to Portland was a no-brainer decision, as his move made him closer to home and his family.
“It never felt right, not being home,” Lillard said. “When I have to make a decision, a lot of thought goes into it. This decision wasn’t hard at all.”
The last time the Trail Blazers were in the playoffs was in the 2020-2021 NBA season, losing to the Denver Nuggets in the first round led by Lillard and CJ McCollum.
This year, the team will be led by Avdija, who had 41 points against the Suns in the play-in game.
However, they have a tall task against the Spurs, whose squad is led by Victor Wembanyama.
Blazers-Spurs Schedule
GettyThe San Antonio Spurs and the Portland Trail Blazers battle in Round 1.
Game 1 of the Blazers-Spurs series will happen on Sunday, April 19, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time in San Antonio.
Game 2 will be on Tuesday, April 21, before Game 3 in Portland on Friday, April 24. Game 4 will then tip off on Sunday, April 26.
The series opener will be the Spurs’ first playoff game in seven years, last playing in the postseason in 2019.
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