Damian Lillard out indefinitely; who will step up for the Bucks?

[ad_1]

Damian Lillard last played on March 18. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

At first, they thought it was the groin. That’s the ailment that the Bucks listed for Damian Lillard on the injury report, coming off a dispiriting, “we have to have a meeting”-type of loss to the Warriors: right groin soreness, probable for Milwaukee’s next game, a nationally televised Thursday tilt against the Lakers.

Later that day, though, the issue was reclassified as soreness in the soleus muscle in his right calf — an update significant enough to knock him out of the lineup for what would wind up being a Bucks rout.

“I just know it popped up and, you know, didn’t do shootaround today, and so we just keep moving on,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers told reporters.

When the calf issue led to two more absences, though — in Saturday’s win over the Kings and Monday’s loss to the Suns, after which Lillard proclaimed it “frustrating […] not being able to play [at] this point in the season” — Rivers spoke about Lillard’s situation in a tone that seemed ominous for what had been termed a day-to-day injury.

Asked if the veteran guard had been making progress, the coach told reporters, “No, obviously, because he’s not playing. So we’re just gonna keep monitoring it and hopeful that we’ll get more information about it … I know he saw some people, so we’re checking everything out.”

Thank God they did: Further testing revealed that what initially presented as soreness in that right calf was actually a deep vein thrombosis — the type of blood clot from which a number of other athletes have suffered in the past, and that ended San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama’s season just last month.

“It’s unfortunate that something outside of my control would come up,” Lillard told NBA insider Chris Haynes. “Along with the Bucks’ medical staff, our priorities are to protect my health and safety. As much as I love basketball, I need to be there for my kids and my family. I’m grateful the Bucks acted quickly on this. They’ve been supportive and proactive throughout this process. I look forward…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/damian-lillard-out-indefinitely-who-will-step-up-for-the-bucks-034509578.html

Author : Dan Devine

Publish date : 2025-03-26 03:45:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.