Blazers' Billups Jokes Damian Lillard Will Be 'Highest-Paid Assistant Coach' in NBA

As Damian Lillard returns to the Portland Trail Blazers and is expected to miss much of the season while recovering from an Achilles injury, head coach Chauncey Billups plans to keep him busy in a bench role.

"He'll be back as good as ever, if you know anything about him," Billups jokingly said, per RoseGardenReport.com's Sean Highkin. "This year, he'll be the highest-paid assistant coach in history. I'll be putting him to work every day."

The team has been hesitant to commit to a timeline for Lillard’s return, hoping his role as an assistant coach won’t last the entire season while prioritizing his long-term recovery.

“Neither Joe Cronin nor Damian Lillard outright said Dame won’t play this upcoming season, but both were very clear that they’re focused on the long-term recovery and it will take as long as it takes,” reporter Highkin said.

Rip City officially welcomed its nine-time All-Star home with a press conference Monday, two days after he signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Trail Blazers.

Portland originally selected Lillard with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Weber State. He played 11 seasons with the Blazers before spending the last two years in Milwaukee.