Tim Legler is convinced Damian Lillard has plenty to be excited about in his future.
It’s been a brutal stretch for the 34-year-old star. Now, for the first time in his NBA career, Lillard faces unrestricted free agency while rehabbing from an Achilles tear and a blood clot. Still, the nine-time All-Star is “elated” about what lies ahead.
But this next journey won’t come with the usual team support. After 13 NBA seasons, Lillard isn’t some spring chicken, but there’s no guarantee how he’ll bounce back from an injury that’s become an epidemic in the league. As he grinds through rehab, he’ll be doing it without the Bucks — or any other NBA team — by his side.
Legler knows this all too well. There’s no question it’s a “really difficult” road to travel. And doing it all by yourself, without the daily grind and presence of teammates, is even more daunting. He’s been through it before and knows the isolation cuts deeper than most realize.
“I can tell you — and they’ve gotten a lot better with this in the NBA — when I hurt my knee, there is an isolation factor to it, even though you’re on the team,” the ESPN NBA analyst said during a recent Awful Announcing Podcast appearance. “You’re not around them the same extent. They’re in the gym, practicing, lifting weights, doing all of that.
“My rehab facility was not part of our practice facility. I was a half an hour away, 40 minutes away, where I was driving every day to a rehab clinic, where you were in there with people that were also just in there from regular walks of life. I remember becoming friends with a guy on the next table that was coming back from an ACL, that had an office job, that tore his knee up playing in a men’s league. And now here we are, both getting rehabbed in the same place.”
Legler was isolated. He wasn’t traveling with the team. And in the NBA, those road trips are where much of the camaraderie and bonding happen. Missing out on those shared experiences only deepens the sense of separation. And for Lillard, that means battling not just the physical pain, but the mental weight of going it alone.
“There’s an isolation factor even when you’re part of a team,” said Legler. “When you’re not, I imagine, yeah, you can feel really detached from it all. And I think for a guy like Damian Lillard, ultimately, it’s just keeping your eye on the prize — if you want to come back, and that is your goal. Think about what could be waiting for you at the end of this, and the reward that you could have.
“Imagine if he goes to a team, and he is a difference maker. They win a title. Who knows? And how rewarding that would be to come back from the depths of it. It’s as low as it gets was when he planted that foot in that court. It’s as low as it gets for Damian Lillard. To end up with that at the end, I think you learn a lot about yourself and your perseverance.”
In his conversation with AA’s Brandon Contes, Legler was able to cut to the very core of what makes this kind of rehab so brutal. Not just the physical toll, but the mental grind of isolation. Even when you’re “part of a team,” injury sidelines you from the daily rhythm of camaraderie and shared purpose.
For Lillard, now entirely on his own, that detachment is magnified.
And if he comes out the other end ready to compete at a high level, Legler believes it will say as much about his mental toughness as his talent.
Listen to the full episode of the Awful Announcing Podcast featuring Tim Legler beginning Thursday, July 3. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. For more content, subscribe to AA’s YouTube page.