Damian Lillard’s return to the Portland Trail Blazers has been welcomed by fans with open arms this summer, and he recently opened up about how the move has made him happier. Speaking on The Sideline with Andy Katz, Lillard said that returning to Portland allowed him to live with his family full-time.
“It’s been great. I’m not an overly expressive person, but I think in my adulthood, coming back here at this time, with the age of my kids, with where the team is, it just feels right,” Lillard said.
“The team has developed and grown over the last couple of years. Being back where I spent the first 11 years of my career, this is one of the times in my life when I feel extremely happy. Every day, I wake up and I’m thankful. I’m waking up, seeing my kids, and taking them to school. I can just drive down to my mom’s house. It’s a blessing, man. I couldn’t be happier,” he added.
Lillard was with the Portland Trail Blazers for 11 years before joining the Milwaukee Bucks. However, the move didn’t work out for him, as Milwaukee hadn’t won a single playoff series, and the team waived and stretched his contract.
Portland Trail Blazers guards under pressure to prove their worth this upcoming season, per analyst
NBA.com analyst John Schuhmann believes that if the Portland Trail Blazers plan to make noise in the Western Conference this upcoming season, it’ll likely be on the back of strong years from Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.
“Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe need to play a lot, because the Blazers need to figure out what they have in the young duo (21 and 22 years old, respectively) before Lillard comes back from his Achilles tear,” Schuhmann stated.
“Both saw jumps in efficiency last season, and both still have plenty of room for improvement. Holiday is versatile enough to play alongside either one, giving the Blazers a pretty unique three-man guard rotation,” he added.
