TUALATIN -- There was a welcome sight at the Trail Blazers' practice Monday morning.

A hulking, 6-foot-11 defensive-minded center was sprinting in fast-break drills, blocking shots during half-court defensive work and holding his own in one-on-one workouts.

Festus Ezeli went through portions of a Blazers practice for the first time since joining the team as a free agent over the summer, participating in a variety of drills in a limited capacity at the practice facility in Tualatin. It was Ezeli's most notable, and perhaps important, step in his rehabilitation from an August injection in his left knee.

"The sheriff is back in town," Ezeli said, chuckling, after the workout. "It felt good. It felt good to be out there on the court. We'll take today as a good foundation and build from here."

And what a foundation it was. Ezeli wasted little time putting his stamp on Monday's practice.

For weeks, Ezeli and All-Star point guard Damian Lillard had exchanged a little playful trash-talking about Ezeli's return. Lillard let his beastly new teammate know he would be coming for him on Day 1, that he would pick just the right moment to drive and dunk on him. But Ezeli, who blocked 50 shots in 46 games with the Golden State Warriors last season and is regarded as an exceptional defender, had other plans and suggested that Lillard rethink his plan.

As fate would have it, the weeks-long banter was put to the test in the first play of the first 4-on-4 half-court drill Monday. Lillard drove toward the rim and elevated. Ezeli jumped with him and rejected the shot.

"The first play of the game, he comes in looking like he was going to dunk it," Ezeli said. "So I had to let him know the sheriff is still here. Don't worry about that. The sheriff is still in town."

The block created a buzz at practice as players and coaches reacted to the emphatic return of a center who is expected to help their interior defense.

"It was kind of weird, we were like, 'Who is this guy?'" Al-Farouq Aminu said, laughing, about the block. "Nah, it was refreshing to see him out there doing what he does."

Ezeli had ramped up his rehabilitation in recent days, undergoing a light shooting session and some on-court conditioning work after the Blazers' Saturday practice. But Monday was his most extensive work since Aug. 23, when Ezeli's left knee was injected with a bone marrow aspirate concentrate and Orthovisc to help alleviate pain and improve function. He went through some full-court conditioning drills that included sprinting, competed in some 4-on-4 defensive drills and other half-court workouts, and went through 1-on-1 drills.

Ezeli, who signed a two-year free agent deal with the Blazers in July, said Monday's work was simply the latest step in the "process" and there remains no timetable for his full return.

He'll be evaluated by the Blazers' health and performance staff on Tuesday to see how his knee responds to the workout and the group will then determine his next step. Ezeli said he and the staff are relying on "feel" and easing him back into the fray as his body allows.

"Each day I'm progressing," Ezeli said. "It's about steady improvement. Like I keep saying, it's a process. It's hard not to get frustrated sometimes, because I want to be out there with the guys, especially with this team. They're all great guys. We're improving every game and I want to be a part of that improvement. Because, bottom line, I feel like we're going to do some great things this year."

Ezeli has spent countless hours in the weight room the last few weeks building strength around his base and lower body to help take pressure off his knees, both of which have required surgery and bothered him for years. He says he feels as explosive as ever. That probably doesn't come as a surprise to his teammates after watching him return in emphatic fashion with that notable highlight against Lillard.

"He looked comfortable," coach Terry Stotts said. "He didn't participate in the whole practice, but he had a presence. Defensively, that's what he does very well. He made some good rim contests. Defensively, he was just solid. One-on-one, he went through that and looked good. It was good to finally see him out there."

Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com 503-294-5183 @BlazerFreeman