The Achilles Club: Dame Comes Home, Hali Stays Sit
If you are a fan of watching superstars in street clothes cheer from the bench while wearing very expensive suits, boy, do I have an NBA season for you.
We have two members of the elite "Please Don't Rush the Rehab" committee making headlines this week: Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton. One is a prodigal son returning home to Portland, and the other is the only thing standing between the Indiana Pacers and total irrelevance.
Let’s break down the waiting game.
Dame Time is on a Delay
Damian Lillard is back in Portland! Cue the montage music. Cue the tears. Cue the... walking boot?
After a stint in Milwaukee that ended with the Bucks waiving him to sign Myles Turner (more on that later), Lillard signed a 3-year, $41.6 million deal to return to the Trail Blazers. It’s a "team-friendly" deal, which is code for "I am 35, and my Achilles is currently undergoing major renovations."
Lillard has ruled himself out for the entire 2025-26 season. So, for now, the Blazers are paying him to be the world’s most expensive assistant coach/vibes curator.
“I think Damian Lillard will always be a net positive on any basketball team that he's on — No. 1 because everybody loves him,” Shea Serrano said. “He's just a good, cool person to have on your team.”
Serrano brings up a good point: Medical technology has changed. We used to look at an Achilles tear like a career death sentence (sorry, Kobe). Now, thanks to Kevin Durant, we look at it and say, "Eh, give it a year, he'll be fine."
But let’s be real: The Blazers are betting on nostalgia and modern medicine. If it works, Lillard, Scoot Henderson, and Jrue Holiday form the most interesting backcourt rotation in history. If it doesn't? Well, at least the vibes will be immaculate.
The Pacers are Pacing... Slowly
Meanwhile, in Indiana, Tyrese Haliburton provided an update that every Pacers fan desperately needed to hear, mostly to distract them from the scoreboard.
Haliburton, also recovering from an Achilles injury, says he is "in a good space" and close to playing one-on-one.
"Yesterday was six months for me, so we're getting there," Haliburton said on NBA Nightcap.
Here is the bad news: He isn't playing this season.
Here is the worst news: The Pacers are 6-18.
Without Haliburton running the show (and without Myles Turner, who is busy enjoying Dame's old locker in Milwaukee), the Pacers' offense looks like a car trying to drive with square wheels. Their offensive rating is 4th 4th-worst in the league. Their defensive rating is... let's just say "polite."
Haliburton is the engine. Without him, the car doesn't start. But the Pacers are smart to keep him in the garage. There is no point in rushing your franchise cornerstone back just to chase the 10th seed and a participation trophy.
The Sanchez Verdict
The 2025-26 season is officially the "Year of the Deferral."
Portland is waiting for Dame. Indiana is waiting for Hali. And the rest of us are waiting to see if these Achilles tendons can hold up the weight of two franchises’ hopes and dreams.
To Dame and Tyrese: Take your time. Rehab hard. Don't trip over the cable on the sideline. We’ll see you in 2026.
Sanchez out ✌🏽
