The Portland Trail Blazers' 4-0 start may soon seem like a fever dream in Rip City. The silver lining of Damian Lillard's hamstring injury suffered in Wednesday's home loss to the Miami Heat, though? Portland's franchise player won't be sidelined too long.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and STADIUM reported on Thursday that Lillard will be out for the next one-to-two weeks, during which point Portland medical personnel will re-evaluate his right calf strain.
Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard will be re-evaluated in 1-to-2 weeks with a calf strain, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 27, 2022
Lillard came up limp midway through the third quarter of the Blazers' 119-98 loss to Miami. He initially tried to play through the pain, but hobbled his way to the locker room after committing a turnover with his right leg outstretched. Lillard was ruled out shortly thereafter.
Following the game, Lillard quelled concerns about the extent of his injury, even saying he hoped to play next week.
Damian Lillard says he would have played the rest of the game if it were a playoff game. Says they don’t think he needs to get an MRI. Expects to sit Friday vs. Houston but hopes to play Wednesday vs. Memphis. Doesn’t seem overly concerned about it.
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) October 27, 2022
The eight-time All-Star expressed optimism about the trajectory of his rebuilt team, too.
Damian Lillard: "Our team is on the right track, so I'm not overly concerned about that, and I'm also not concerned about myself."
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) October 27, 2022
Portland has been one of the league's most pleasant surprises in the season's early going after finishing 2021-22 in full-blown tank mode.
An offseason trade for Jerami Grant has provided the Blazers with two-way dynamism at forward they've always lacked during Lillard's tenure. Second-year coach Chauncey Billups has taken advantage of Grant's presence and his revamped roster's overall versatility by deploying an uptempo, motion-based offense and aggressive, variable attack on the other side of the ball.
The result was an invigorating start that not only made clear Portland will be heard from in the Western Conference playoff race this season, but also that long-term expectations about this team's future should be adjusted for the better. Lingering concerns about the core injury that forced Lillard to go under the knife last season were mitigated by his back-to-back 41-point performances last week, too.
Expect promising rookie wing Shaedon Sharpe, veteran forward Justise Winslow and sophomore guard Keon Johnson to play bigger minutes for the Blazers while Lillard is out, with Anfernee Simons, Grant and Josh Hart sopping up the usage left by his absence.
Next up for Portland, 4-1, is Friday's game at Moda Center against the struggling Houston Rockets.
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