Portland’s future is bright with the Trail Blazers’ young core. This is boosted by Damian Lillard‘s belief in his new teammates. With Billups’ system finally realizing its potential, the youth could be a strong foundation.
Damian Lillard Believes in Portland Trail Blazers’ Young Core
Damian Lillard is recovering from a torn Achilles, which has ruled him out for the 2025-26 season. Despite this ailment, Lillard will be a prominent cheerleader on the sidelines. After his tenure in Milwaukee ended abruptly, Lillard knew returning to the Portland Trail Blazers was the right move.
Not only is he at home with his family, but he is also playing for the organization that knows him. At the same time, he has seen the progress the Trail Blazers have made since 2023.
Portland’s Future is In Good Hands
Even while Lillard is sidelined, the Blazers have impressive depth. It is a great mix of experienced veterans and promising young players. Defensively, Billups’ team has top-tier potential, as they could keep up with any team.
Offensively, they still have some things to work on. Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe have shown flashes of brilliance, but they are still in the process of development. Despite these problems, Lillard has shown full faith in the Blazers’ young core.
From the young core, he has only played with Sharpe before. Despite that, Lillard watched Blazers games while he was in Milwaukee. He kept track of the team and sees massive potential from players like Henderson, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan.
“I want to step out there, and everybody says, ‘That’s a real team.’ I want to represent the Blazers in that way. When we get to the tip, I want them to look at us and know this team is there,” Lillard said at his homecoming event on Sept. 21.
“When I look at our team, and I look at the guys. I got to see them from a distance before I came back to be part of the team. I love what I see. Being a part of that is what I’m most excited about.”
Scoot Henderson to Shaedon Sharpe assists pic.twitter.com/rj748MDS0F
— Blazers Lead (@BlazersLead) August 30, 2025
Lillard Believes In Henderson’s Superstar Potential
During the event, Lillard spoke about his excitement about playing alongside certain players. He singled out Camara, Sharpe, Deni Avdija, and Henderson. The last name stood out among the rest because of Lillard’s high praise toward the former top-three pick.
“I see a superstar-level talent point guard like Scoot Henderson. I can help him and be part of his journey,” Lillard continued.
Zach Lowe confirms that Scoot was clued in before the Dame signing happened:
“He was super enthusiastic about it, not threatened at all. There was this undercurrent of ‘if I’m Scoot I’m going to be angry’…Scoot’s gonna have all the runway in the world.”
(Via Zach Lowe Show) pic.twitter.com/vou4GjbVb2
— Blazers Lead (@BlazersLead) July 21, 2025
That is a massive claim, considering Henderson has not played up to expectations in his first two years. It is also an interesting plot twist because drafting Henderson affected Lillard’s decision to leave in 2023.
With the mentorship that both Lillard and Jrue Holiday can provide, Henderson is in good hands. Billups is also a clear influence, considering he was an All-Star point guard as well. It is up to Henderson to live up to these expectations and make his mentors proud.
Feb 26, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) dunks the ball against the Washington Wizards in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The Blazers’ Young Core Can Help Portland Contend
As long as the Blazers can maintain this young core, they are in a good spot. The players have immense potential, as they are talented enough to compete with any team. Portland’s future is bright because they have the personnel to compete.
In the long-term future, championship contention is possible. They have star potential with three of their young players in Henderson, Sharpe, and Clingan. It will be challenging to reach that status, but having Lillard as a mentor matters.
With how Lillard believes in his younger teammates, it is coming from a good place. Lillard never reached true contender status during his first Blazers stint. Now, the potential is there, and he wants to unlock it.
© Soobum Im-Imagn Images