Damian Lillard Discusses Blazers' NBA Title Aspirations, Provides Injury Rehab Update

Portland Trail Blazers superstar guard Damian Lillard provided an update Friday on his recovery from an abdominal injury that will cause him to miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

Speaking to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Lillard said:

"It's been cool, bro. I knew it was going be a hurdle to just get used to not playing and traveling, and being in the mix. And once I kind of came to peace with that, which took like a month, I just threw myself into the rehab process and the, the areas I could grow and the things that I could put my energy into. That helped me a lot to this point. I haven't had a chance in 10 years to take a step back and let my mind relax and to let my body fully recover and relax and have a true opportunity to ramp up and train and start back with my foundation, who I am as a player and spend time with my family, my kids and my wife.

"So, I feel strong, mentally and physically. I still got six, seven months before next season. I feel great. I love the opportunities that I've had through this injury because there were a lot of positives that came from a negative situation. Now, it's just a matter of balancing these next six or seven months and making sure I'm not burning myself out from training or burning myself out from trying to ramp up. It’s just cruising the rest of the way."

Lillard added that he is for the first time "pain-free since maybe 2016, 2017," as that was when his abdominal issues began.

The six-time All-Star also talked about his desire to win a championship in Portland, saying:

"That's the only thing I care about, honestly. ... Like I said, my best is yet to come. And the only things that I play for at this point is I want to be the MVP of the league and I want to win the championship. And once I do those things, I feel great about the investment that I made to this game over my whole life. If I accomplish those two things, I'm walking away feeling like I literally got the most out of myself as an athlete."

If Lillard is indeed going to become an NBA champion in Portland, it is likely that some big changes will need to be made during the offseason.

With a 27-45 record, the Blazers are trending toward missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013, which would end an eight-year postseason streak.

The fact that Lillard has been out since early January has plenty to do with the Blazers' struggles this season since he is unquestionably their best player and one of the best players in the NBA.

Before landing on the shelf and undergoing surgery, the six-time All-NBA selection was averaging 24.0 points, 7.3 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 3.2 three-pointers made per game, which was right in line with his career averages of 24.6 points, 6.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 trifectas made.

Lillard has been performing at that level for several years, and while it was enough to get the Blazers in the playoffs, it has rarely led to further success.

Portland did reach the Western Conference Finals in 2019, but it lost in the first round in five of the eight years during its playoff streak.

The Blazers struggled so much this season without Lillard that they traded several other key players, including CJ McCollum, Norman Powell and Robert Covington.

That would seem to suggest the Blazers are in rebuild mode, but with Lillard returning next season and the likes of Anfernee Simons and Josh Hart playing well, there are some solid pieces around the star.

Rumors and speculation have run rampant over the past few years regarding Lillard possibly wanting to go elsewhere, but he has always remained loyal to Portland publicly, and since he is under contract through at least 2024, it doesn't look like Lillard is going anywhere in the near future.