Damian Lillard is on an indefinite hiatus. At this special juncture with just over half a month left in the regular season, this bad news is undoubtedly an extremely heavy blow, whether for Lillard himself or the Milwaukee Bucks.
According to sources, the reason for Lillard's hiatus is a deep - vein thrombosis in his right calf. Currently, Lillard has been taking blood - thinning medications, and his condition is under stable control. However, he still needs to continue regular check - ups, and it's unlikely that he'll be back on the court anytime soon.
Lillard isn't the only active player troubled by thrombosis. Previously, Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs also bid farewell to the season early due to a similar illness, and Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons took nearly eight months off due to thrombosis and didn't return until last November.
It's worth noting that after Wembanyama was ruled out, the Spurs immediately gave a positive recovery prognosis, believing that he would be fully healed next season. And after Thompson's comeback in November last year, his performance in actual games has been quite satisfactory. He returned to the Pistons' starting lineup in January and hasn't missed a single game since January 10th.
In contrast, Lillard's situation is significantly different. After the incident, the Bucks only announced an indefinite hiatus. The team's general manager, Jon Horst, only stated in an interview that “currently, ensuring Damian's health is our top priority, and the likelihood of such a situation recurring is extremely low.” However, the Bucks' official hasn't answered questions like how long Lillard will need to recover, whether he can make it to this year's playoffs, and if his career with the Bucks will be affected.
A conservative estimate is that even if Lillard receives timely treatment now, he'll need at least three months of rest, meaning he'll likely miss the rest of this season. Moreover, unlike Ausar and Wembanyama, who are in their early 20s, Lillard is approaching 35. In this case, his recovery period might be even longer than those of the two young players. It's entirely possible that Lillard could take seven or eight months or even longer to recuperate.
Currently, the only thing Lillard and the Bucks can do is to patiently handle this unexpected situation. However, if Lillard does miss the rest of the season and needs more time to recover, many new problems will probably follow.
So far this season, the Bucks have a record of 40 wins and 31 losses, ranking fifth in the Eastern Conference. Based on the Eastern Conference's point situation, if the Bucks don't encounter major issues, they still have a good chance of securing a top - six position and directly qualifying for the playoffs. But losing their key player before the crucial battles is like shooting themselves in the foot on the road to the championship. The Bucks lost Giannis Antetokounmpo before the playoffs last year, which led to an early exit. This year, with Lillard sidelined at a critical time, if he can't return in time for the playoffs, the Bucks' future looks uncertain.
This season, even when both Lillard and Antetokounmpo were on the court, the Bucks' offense wasn't among the league's best. Their offensive efficiency per 100 possessions ranks only 14th in the league. Although the addition of fresh faces like Kyle Kuzma and Michael Porter Jr. during the season has brought some improvements on certain nights, the ball - distribution structure of the Bucks' lineup hasn't changed fundamentally. The team's scoring still mainly depends on Lillard and Antetokounmpo. Now, with Lillard out, who can fill the gap of his average 24.9 points and 3.4 three - pointers per game? With Antetokounmpo fatigued and Bobby Portis suspended for taking a banned substance, can coach Doc Rivers tap into the team's new potential? And if he can, how effective will these changes be in the upcoming playoffs?
It's almost certain that after Lillard's setback, the anxiety has inevitably spread among the coaching staff and in the team's locker room.
Besides the disappointment of the players and coaching staff, new concerns may have emerged among the Bucks' management. Two years ago, when the Bucks traded Jrue Holiday for the offense - heavy but defense - weak Lillard, they took a huge risk. At that time, a popular view was that the combination of Lillard and Antetokounmpo was unlikely to succeed. Now, as this pessimistic prediction seems to be coming true, the Bucks' management may have to start considering alternatives, think about replacing Lillard, take into account Antetokounmpo's attitude, and update the team's future building plan.
Since winning the championship in 2021, in the past four years, the Bucks have paid a hefty luxury tax each year to return to the championship podium and fulfill Antetokounmpo's continuous championship aspirations. In the past four years, they've spent over $200 million on luxury tax alone, which is becoming an increasingly heavy burden for a small - market team. Currently, Lillard still has two years left on his contract (1 1, with a player option in the 2026 - 27 season), with an average annual salary of over $54 million. If the Bucks keep him, their salary cap situation won't improve. On the other hand, the Bucks are gradually falling behind the championship contenders. In this situation, will Antetokounmpo cause another departure stir? These far - reaching impacts are probably what the Bucks' management needs to seriously consider after Lillard's hiatus.
