Damian Lillard has no worries about his physical condition upon finishing his Achilles rehab ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers' 2026-27 campaign.

Lillard has been playing in the NBA since 2012, going through his 12th season with the Blazers. After two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, the team chose to waive and stretch the remainder of his contract as he ended up reuniting with Portland.

Lillard used the entire 2025-26 season to rehab his Achilles. While he took part in the 3-point shooting contest in All-Star Weekend, he spent all of the campaign to get his physical ability back up to speed.

Lillard took part in the team's Media Day on Monday, conversing with media throughout the afternoon. When reporters asked about his health, the veteran star guard expressed confidence about his athleticism and ability to produce on the court.

“I don't have any restrictions,” Lillard said, via ESPN. “I talk about the injury when I'm asked about it, but when I'm playing, it's not a thought anymore. I'm at that stage. I'm able to play free.”

“I'm capable of doing whatever I need to do, but at this stage, I don't think I need to kill myself in a regular season trying to play 37, 36, 35 minutes if it's unnecessary. We got a lot of guards, we got a lot of ability at the guard position, and I don't think it should be necessary for me to have to play 35 minutes.”

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What lies ahead for Damian Lillard, Blazers this season

Damian Lillard is on a mission to show he can ball out despite coming off injury rehab. And even though the Blazers have a logjam in the backcourt, he remains optimistic about the squad's chances of success this season.

“If we are just doing the right thing, playing the right way … I think the balance will work itself out,” Lillard said, when asked how the team will deploy newly-acquired, former All-Star guard Ja Morant, former lottery pick Scoot Henderson and two-time NBA champion Jrue Holiday.

“If our mentality is right and we handle it right, I think we could be a tough time for everybody. If I get the ball and I'm advancing the ball ahead to Ja Morant, I feel pretty good about it. If I'm advancing the ball to [All-Star forward] Deni [Avdija] out there, I feel good about it. And for both of those guys, if they are attacking the rim, attacking the paint and they're kicking the ball out to me for a 3-pointer, I think they should feel great about that.”

Portland will get its campaign underway with four preseason contests, starting and ending with the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 7 and Oct. 16. Their regular season will begin at home when they host the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 21 at 10 p.m. ET.