The Portland Trail Blazers recently got their preseason slate underway, with Damian Lillard knocking down several three-pointers in his first action back in the Motor City following his recovery from a torn Achilles. Lillard is back as the Blazers' point guard this year, hoping to help the team build off its run to the NBA playoffs this past year.

Recently, Lillard discussed his mindset heading into the upcoming campaign.

“My ultimate goal is to come back off a major injury and be myself. One thing that I've learned through this process is that if you do it right, you take your time, and you don't skip through steps in that process… you can get back to everything that you had before. I feel like I've gotten back to everything I had before,” he said, per NBA TV on X, formerly Twitter.

What Lillard had before was the status as one of the best point guards of his generation and the resume of a top-75 player in league history, as he was awarded a few years ago.

Meanwhile, the Blazers puzzled some fans this offseason with their trade for Ja Morant, causing some to wonder how he and Lillard would coexist in the Portland backcourt considering their limitations in size and defense, as well as the fact that other players like Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday will also be expecting plenty of minutes this year.

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It will certainly be an interesting challenge for head coach Micah Nori to navigate during his first year at the helm in Portland.

In any case, the Blazers are set to kick off their new season on October 21 with a home game vs the Phoenix Suns.