Damian Lillard hasn’t just given the Portland Trail Blazers a scorer. He’s given them a different offense.
A year ago, Portland was buried near the bottom of the league in the numbers that usually tell the truth about a team’s shot-making. The Blazers finished 29th in field goal percentage at 45.3, 27th in three-point percentage at 34.3 and last in turnovers per game at 16.5. Seven games into this season, they’re in the top 10 in all three categories and sit among the top five in just about every advanced offensive measure that matters, from offensive rating to effective field goal percentage.
That kind of jump doesn’t happen by accident, and head coach Micah Nori made it clear after the road win over the Phoenix Suns that he isn’t taking the credit.
“I’m not trying to be overly humble, but I’m getting way too much credit for putting really good players in good positions. That’s just playing them to their strengths. That’s all it is,” Nori joked.
The biggest strength, though, is obvious. Lillard is back, and he’s changing the way defenses have to play Portland every single possession.
At 36 and coming off an Achilles tear, he doesn’t move quite the way he once did. The burst is still there in flashes, but it’s not the same weapon it used to be. What hasn’t gone anywhere is the part of his game that makes defenders panic the second he crosses half court.
“The good thing is that he didn’t hurt his wrist or his elbow, because he doesn’t miss,” Nori said on media day.
That line says plenty. Lillard still has the kind of shooting reputation that warps a defense before the ball even arrives.
Last season, when Portland ranked third-to-last in three-point percentage, opponents could live with helping off the perimeter. That’s no longer a luxury.
“If you think of the solar system like you think of the sun, gravity and all that, that's the way he is. He just pulls everything together.” Nori said before Portland played the Suns.
You can see it in the way the Blazers are running simple actions that become dangerous the moment Lillard is involved. One possession against Phoenix started with a basic brush screen while Jrue Holiday and Robert Williams III worked a pick-and-roll.
It wasn’t fancy, but it didn’t need to be. The ball ended up in Lillard’s hands with room to shoot, and that alone was enough to make the sequence feel dangerous.
The difference from last season is stark. What used to be a possession where the defense could ignore the perimeter now becomes a problem because Lillard can’t be left alone. If defenders stay home on him, Portland gets the kind of space that Deni Avdija can attack.
“Guys don't want to leave him [Lillard], which opens up more people, which opens up more space. And then when you have a guy like Deni [Avdija], that can get himself downhill in the manner that he can, I think that it's a perfect combination.”
That’s the real trick here. Lillard’s presence doesn’t just create shots for himself.
It reshapes the floor for everyone else. Nori has leaned into a dribble handoff look between Lillard and Avdija, and it puts defenses in a bad spot: stay attached to Lillard and open driving lanes, or help and give up one of the league’s best shooters clean looks.
Avdija has taken full advantage. He’s been excellent as both a scorer and a passer, and the way these actions have opened up has made his job easier.
Lillard’s own numbers tell part of the story, too. He’s putting up some of the lowest stats he’s had since his rookie year, with 29.7 minutes and 20.1 points per game.
But Portland’s offense has been better than it’s been in years, and that’s the bigger point. Even with fewer shots and less volume than he used to carry, Lillard’s shooting, gravity and willingness to fit into the flow have helped turn the Blazers into one of the league’s most efficient offenses.
In Other News...
Damian Lillard Had Every Reason To Explode Over Dillon Brooks
Dillon Brooks managed to turn a routine stoppage into one of those moments that instantly grabs everyones attention. During a game, the Phoenix Suns wing appeared to try to step on Damian Lillards Achilles after a whistle, and Lillard reacted immediately by confronting him before referees and coaches stepped in to keep it from getting any worse. Lillard was not injured, but the sequence still had the kind of edge that can linger long after the possession is over.
For Portland fans, it was another reminder of how quickly things can get heated when Lillard is involved in a physical matchup. He has always carried himself with a calm, steady presence, so when he goes straight at an opponent like that, it says plenty about how serious the moment felt. The incident ended without further escalation, but it left plenty of room for questions about what Brooks was trying to do and how the league will view the exchange. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Backcourt Takes Another Hit After Vt Krej Scare
Vt Krejs night ended in a hurry late in the third quarter against the Suns, and the sight of him leaving the arena on crutches with a protective boot only deepened the concern around Portlands backcourt. The Trail Blazers were already dealing with multiple injuries in that area, so another setback there is the last thing they needed as the season moves along.
The immediate issue now is the uncertainty around how long Krej will be out, with the team still waiting to learn more about the fracture to his lower left leg or ankle and whether surgery will be part of the recovery plan. For a Blazers group trying to piece together guard minutes on the fly, even a short absence would be a problem, and this one could linger well beyond that. [Read more 🡒]
Dillon Brooks Is Giving Suns Fans The Wrong Kind Of Headlines
Dillon Brooks managed to turn a regular-season meeting with Portland into the kind of night that lingers long after the final buzzer. After a whistle, he kicked the back of Damian Lillards left leg, setting off a brief confrontation between the two before Lillard answered the moment the old-fashioned way, by getting back to work and finishing at the rim with Brooks in the picture.
The Blazers walked away with a 132-119 win, and Lillards 25 points helped make sure the on-court response mattered more than the post-whistle heat. Brooks still finished with 15 points for Phoenix, but the bigger takeaway for Portland was how quickly the game tilted from irritation to control, with Lillard making sure the last memorable play belonged to him. [Read more 🡒]