Damian Lillard is still months removed from his last NBA game, but the early signs out of Portland are encouraging. According to Jason Quick of The Athletic, both Toumani Camara and head coach Micah Nori say the veteran guard is moving well as he works his way back from the Achilles tear he suffered on April 27, 2025.
Nori came away impressed after watching Lillard in daily runs at the Blazers’ practice facility in recent weeks.
“If I never knew Dame Lillard, and I came into the building and just started watching them play basketball, I would not be able to tell he had any type of surgery,” Nori said.
Camara, who has been put on Lillard in pre-camp scrimmages, gave a similarly strong report. The defensive-minded forward told The Athletic that Lillard has looked “very, very impressive” and said the 36-year-old would rank among the five toughest players in the league for him to guard.
“I think the most impressive thing for me was his first step, his speed, especially coming back from that injury,” Camara said. “He was just very hard to guard all around.
He has so many ways to get around you. He has mastered his game and mastered his body, and no matter how good of a defender you are, when somebody has mastered their game, they are going to get wherever they want.
You just have to hope they miss the shot.”
There’s also a bigger roster question hanging over Portland’s backcourt once Lillard is fully back and Ja Morant joins the mix. In a mailbag for The Rose Garden Report, Sean Highkin suggested it may make the most sense for one of the two star point guards to come off the bench, which would let Jrue Holiday stay in the starting backcourt as the better defender.
Around the Northwest, the Thunder are already staring down a potential payday for Cason Wallace. Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman used recent extensions for Ausar Thompson, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Ayo Dosunmu, and Dyson Daniels as comps and pegged Wallace’s next deal in the range of $26-30MM annually on a four- or five-year contract.
In Denver, Julian Strawther is eligible for a rookie scale extension before his fourth season, but the path forward is murky. Chris Dempsey of Demps and Circumstance noted that Strawther’s playing time dropped to 15.1 minutes per game in 2025/26, and with the Nuggets expected to be fully healthy, he could wind up battling for a rotation spot behind DeMar DeRozan, Tyus Jones, Spencer Jones, and Marvin Bagley III.
And in Utah, Shreyas Laddha of The Salt Lake Tribune tackled a range of Jazz topics in his first mailbag, including what a strong rookie year could look like for Darryn Peterson and how the team can balance development with trying to win. Laddha’s view of the ceiling in 2026/27 is a pretty ambitious one for the Jazz: a top-five seed and a competitive first-round playoff series.
In Other News...
Walker Kessler Just Sparked A Jazz Debate Fans Wont Ignore
Walker Kesslers place on ESPNs Top 100 list is one of the more interesting little notes to follow as the offseason rolls on. He came in at No. 73, a rise of 25 spots from last year, which says plenty about how much respect his game still carries even after he missed most of the previous season with Utah because of injury.
What makes the ranking especially notable for Jazz fans is the context around it. Kessler is now with the Lakers, and his place on the list feels tied not just to what he has already shown, but to the chance for a bigger role and more consistent playing time in a new setting. For Utah, it is another reminder of how quickly the conversation around a young big can shift once the team around him changes. [Read more 🡒]
Jazz Future Pick Stash Is Becoming Hard To Ignore
The draft chest in Utah keeps getting harder to miss. Between a series of recent trades, including the deal that sent Walker Kessler away and brought back multiple Lakers picks and swaps, the Jazz are sitting on a massive collection of future capital, with 10 first-rounders and 11 second-rounders from 2027 through 2033. It is the kind of stockpile that can shape a rebuild, speed one up, or be used as currency if the right opportunity comes along.
For now, the Jazz also have some immediate flexibility, with three second-round picks available next summer and a 2027 first-rounder that is expected to land late in the order. That matters because Utah has shown it is willing to use the draft in different ways, taking players in a range of spots rather than locking itself into one path. The bigger question is how long the front office waits before turning all that inventory into something more tangible. [Read more 🡒]
Brice Sensabaugh Puts Utah Jazz In A Tough Money Decision
The Jazz already made one major commitment to their young core by locking up Keyonte George on a four-year, $157.5 million extension, and now Brice Sensabaugh is the next name that forces a financial conversation. Utah is eligible to sign him to a rookie-scale extension this offseason, which puts the front office in an interesting spot after Sensabaugh turned in a career-best season and kept building his case as part of the teams long-term plans.
What makes the situation tricky is the timing. Sensabaugh is on track to be a restricted free agent next summer if no extension gets done before the league deadline, so the Jazz have to weigh the cost of acting early against the possibility of letting the market help set his price later. Talks are ongoing, but for now Utah is left trying to balance reward, risk and flexibility with another young player who has clearly made the rosters future more expensive. [Read more 🡒]