Damian Lillard hasn't played in an NBA regular-season or playoff game in 17 months. The Trail Blazers' franchise scoring leader is about to change that.

Portland's media day is set for Sept. 28, and the 36-year-old guard is expected to reclaim his starting spot when the Blazers open the regular season Oct. 21 against the Phoenix Suns at Moda Center, according to OregonLive's training-camp countdown.

It will be Lillard's first game in a Blazers uniform in roughly three and a half years, dating to before his two-season stint with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Lillard tore his left Achilles in April 2025. Milwaukee waived him that July, and he signed a three-year, $42 million contract to come home.

He sat out the entire 2025-26 season rehabbing the injury while Portland, led by All-Star forward Deni Avdija and interim coach Tiago Splitter, went 42-40 and earned the franchise's first playoff berth in five years.

The rehab numbers turned heads.

Lillard made 100,100 shots over 362 days, OregonLive reported. One late-August session produced 1,100 makes on 1,168 attempts, a 94.2% clip.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said on his podcast in early September that the league isn't ready for the shooting display Lillard is about to deliver, SLAM reported.

Lillard showed his form in February, winning the Three-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend with a final-round score of 29. He joined Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only three-time winners of the event, according to NBA.com. He hadn't played a single game that season before the contest, making him the first such winner, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"It's not the injury that it used to be, and I know that from my personal experience and how I feel now," Lillard told reporters after the contest on Feb. 14. "It's something you can come back and have another prime from, especially if you're a hard worker."

The nine-time All-Star returns to a roster that looks nothing like the one he left. Owner Tom Dundon completed a $4.25 billion purchase of the franchise. Head coach Micah Nori replaced Chauncey Billups, who was charged in a federal gambling investigation, and finalized his staff Sept. 10 with hires including former NBA head coach Jay Triano.

Portland traded forwards Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to Memphis on June 29 for guard Ja Morant. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported the Blazers envision a starting backcourt of Lillard and Morant, with Avdija at small forward and Jrue Holiday also in the guard mix. Morant averaged 19.5 points and 8.1 assists per game in 2025-26 but played just 20 games because of injuries. Combined, Lillard and Morant logged only 128 games over the past two seasons.

Guard Shaedon Sharpe, Portland's second-leading scorer at 20.8 points per game in 2025-26, tore his right meniscus in an offseason workout in August, according to OregonLive. He is expected to miss roughly six months.

Lillard will earn $13.4 million this season. He enters his 15th NBA season as the franchise's all-time leader in scoring and three-point shooting and a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary team. Media day is Sept. 28, with training camp to follow. The regular-season opener against Phoenix is Oct. 21.