Damian Lillard making 1,100 of 1,168 3-pointers during a workout would be ridiculous under just about any circumstances. For the Portland Trail Blazers … the timing makes it a little more interesting
Portland spent last season launching plenty of threes without making nearly enough of them, shooting 34.3% from beyond the arc. That ranked 28th in the NBA despite the Blazers reaching the playoffs
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Lillard isn’t going to fix all of that by himself, but making 1,100 of 1,168 3-point attempts during a recent workout — a 94.2% clip — isn’t a bad reminder of what Portland is getting back
The workout comes as Lillard continues preparing for his return after missing the entire 2025-26 season while recovering from a torn Achilles. It doesn’t tell the Blazers whether the 36-year-old will immediately have the same burst, movement or ability to create separation he had before the injury
His jumper, at least, seems to be doing just fine
That’s particularly important for this version of the Blazers. Portland attempted 42.2 threes per game last season but made just 34.3% of them
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The problem wasn’t convincing the Blazers to shoot. It was getting enough of those shots to fall
Compare that to the last time Lillard actually wore a Portland uniform in an NBA game
The Blazers shot 36.5% from beyond the arc in 2022-23, Lillard’s final season in Portland before being traded to Milwaukee. That’s more than two percentage points better than Portland’s 34.3% mark last season
Lillard had plenty to do with it
He made 244 threes in just 58 games that season, averaging 4.2 makes on 11.3 attempts per game while shooting 37.1% from deep. He also averaged a career-high 32.2 points and earned All-NBA Third Team honors
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Portland isn’t getting that version of Lillard back — at least, it would be unfair to expect it
He’s 36 and returning from one of the most significant injuries a basketball player can suffer. The Blazers also look much different than they did when Lillard last played for them, with Ja Morant now giving Portland another dynamic creator in the backcourt
That could make Lillard’s shooting even more valuable
Morant’s ability to attack the paint gives defenses another problem to solve, while Lillard’s shooting could provide exactly the kind of perimeter threat Portland lacked last season
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One workout doesn’t prove that’s what the Blazers are going to get. It doesn’t tell Portland exactly what Lillard will look like when he’s creating against NBA defenders again, either
But 1,100 makes in 1,168 attempts is still 1,100 makes in 1,168 attempts
For a Portland team that finished 28th in 3-point percentage last season … seeing the greatest scorer in franchise history still shooting like this isn’t a bad development
