It's been quite the interesting offseason for future NBA Hall of Famer Damian Lillard, who tore his Achilles to end his season with the Milwaukee Bucks during last year's playoffs, and then saw the Bucks release him in an effort to sign free agent center Myles Turner away from the Indiana Pacers. Lillard has since signed a contract with his former team, the Portland Trail Blazers, where he is expected to spend all of next year rehabbing his injury.
Recently, Lillard stopped by the Sideline With Andy Katz podcast and broke some encouraging news for young players looking to make it to the NBA.
“The way that social media has grown… you starting to see a lot of mid-major players become the stars in the NBA… and to be honest… I think it's as easy as it's ever been to make it to the NBA,” said Lillard, per Andy Katz on X, formerly Twitter.
Indeed, social media has allowed players who may have previously gone unnoticed to grow their profiles exponentially while they are still in high school and potentially generate interest from NBA scouts. This is in part what led players from smaller schools like Ja Morant and even Lillard himself to go on to NBA stardom even without taking the traditional route.
Can Damian Lillard restore his old form?
By the time Damian Lillard is finished rehabbing his torn Achilles injury, he will be a 36 year-old small guard coming off of arguably the most devastating injury in basketball–not exactly a great sign for future success.
However, in recent years, there seems to be a higher success rate of players recovering from torn Achilles and at least partially discovering the old versions of themselves, with Kevin Durant being the most notable recent example in the NBA sphere.
Lillard has been known throughout his career for his relentless dedication to his craft, so it's certainly possible that he is still able to be a very productive player on the other side of this injury.
He will spend the 2025-26 season rehabbing the Achilles and looking to spread his wisdom to a young Blazers team.
