Question: "What do you expect from yourself after this year's recovery? What kind of player do you think you will become in 2026?"
Lillard: "I know the injury was serious, but personally, I know how to deal with the whole recovery process, and I will take it slowly. I trust the people around me very much, and the doctors who performed the surgery for me. We have always been in touch. I believe I can get back to the state I was before the injury, which is my heartfelt thought. I think I can recover. About this injury I have talked to many people who have experienced and recovered, and have also talked to many doctors and physical therapists. They have given me a lot of information, most of which are inspiring. I know what to do to recover, which is what I have been focusing on. The recovery process is very slow, so I plan to use the whole next season to make sure that every link is done well, especially at my age. But I expect to be able to return to my previous state. "
Q: The Achilles tendon injury can be devastating for players, especially psychologically. Have you ever complained about yourself and felt "why me"? Back here, with the team’s resources backing, not just recovering here, how will this help you? After all, you said that the road to recovery is still long.
Lillard: "Well, when I was tearing my Achilles tendon, I could feel it, sitting on the ground, I grabbed the Achilles tendon, turned around and sat up, and the first thought in my mind was: I want to recover from the Achilles tendon injury. Really, that was my first thought, for my children. When the doctor came back, when the doctor said, 'You have a Achilles tendon to tear off', I felt that others sympathized with me more than I did. For example, the physiotherapist on the team was almost crying, and I didn't cry, even when I was the only one, I didn't cry. This was not because of pride, my brain automatically turned to what I knew The challenge that I am about to face is to learn more about this injury, and communicate with people like Rogers, KD, Rudy Guy who have experienced this injury and dealt with it in different ways. But to be honest, I have never complained about any injury. But this time I know that this may be the worst injury in my career. As you said, this is a psychological war, but I will not lose this battle. If it is a psychological war, I will never lose; if it is a physical war, I may lose, but if it is a psychological war, I will never lose."