Damian Lillard injury update: Doc Rivers provides important news on star PG's health
Milwaukee Bucks fans received some pleasant news regarding Damian Lillard before the contest against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
While talking to reporters, coach Doc Rivers revealed that the Bucks could have included their star point guard for their ongoing three-game road trip. Eventually, they decided against it, not wanting to risk his deep vein thrombosis by making him fly.
“We decided against it. We had a great report the other day… The numbers are phenomenal. And why mess with it? It was our thing. Why fly him or anything? It could affect that. … We have much more hope today than we did three days ago.
"I can tell you that. And so we're going to take everything that we can do to see if there's a way we can get them back,” Rivers said.
While there's no concrete timeline provided for Dame’s return yet, it's safe to assume that the 34-year-old will join the lineup before the regular season ends. Perhaps, Lillard’s “phenomenal” results could even allow him to set foot on the court for contact drills after the Bucks’ road trip.
Lillard has been sidelined due to DVT in his right calf since March 18 against the Golden State Warriors. In his absence, the Bucks have gone 2-2.
Damian Lillard will return earlier than expected
At the time of suffering deep vein thrombosis in his calf, Damian Lillard was dubbed as out “indefinitely" with no timeline for his return provided. While he was expected to return during the ongoing season, it would’ve been as late as during the Conference or NBA Finals.
However, insider Shams Charania revealed that Lillard’s injury was identified early, allowing doctors to begin treatment. This promptness meant that the 34-year-old might not be out for the usual period for this type of injury.
“Yeah, there is a chance, there is optimism. And with blood clots, usually, it is an extended absence, months-long absence, but I’m told his treatment started early. They identified kind of what it was, they started him on treatment, then they finally got the diagnosis back.
"He is having doctor appointments every single week to gauge how that blood clot looks in that calf. ... He is hopeful to get cleared in the next week, week and a half to go full go contact and then resume basketball,” Charania said about Damian Lillard.
As things stand, Milwaukee is fifth in the West with a 42-34 record. The Bucks essentially require only one win in their remaining six games to clinch a playoff berth without needing to participate in the play-in tournament.
The Bucks could face the #3 New York Knicks or the #4 Indiana Pacers in the first round of the postseason. Damian Lillard will need to be fully fit to have a chance of pulling off an upset.