Damian Lillard's former teammate drops hyped message for return from injury in time for playoffs
Ahead of the start of first-round action in the NBA playoffs, Damian Lillard was cleared to begin ramping up for the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.
Shams Charania broke the news Thursday, indicating that Lillard has had an unprecedented recovery from deep vein thrombosis and has been cleared to resume normal activities just weeks after his diagnosis.
The news has the NBA community buzzing, with Lillard's former Portland Trail Blazers teammate CJ McCollum hyped by it.
In a post on his Instagram story on Friday, McCollum shared his excitement with fans, sharing Shams Charania's ESPN report about Lillard being eligible to ramp up for the playoffs.
"My dog about to turn up."
While initially Lillard's deep vein thrombosis diagnosis seemed to spell the end of his season, much like Victor Wembanyama, Charania reported this week that Lillard is able to return thanks to early detection and intervention.
Additionally, as medical professionals on X, formerly known as Twitter, have pointed out, the location of blood clots often plays a big factor in how serious they are.
In Wembanyama's case, the blood clot was not only caught later on than Damian Lillard's, it was also in his shoulder, which carries a greater risk if it were to break loose.
Looking at the latest news surrounding when Damian Lillard may return to action in the playoffs
While Damian Lillard has been cleared to resume basketball activities and ramp up for a return, the fact of the matter remains that the nine-time All-Star hasn't suited up since March 18, where he played 38 minutes against the Golden State Warriors.
Given that, Lillard is expected to miss Saturday's Game 1 showdown between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers. However, the expectation is that he will travel with the team to Indiana now that flying doesn't carry a risk for the standout guard.
As he explained to media members on Friday in Milwaukee, his hope all along was that by going in to have ultrasounds done on his calf on a weekly basis, he and the Bucks would have a week-by-week idea of his progress.
While in many cases individuals with blood clots have routine appointments once a month, or every few months, Damian Lillard explained that if he and the team decided to go that route, the clot may have resolved days or even weeks before his next appointment.
As such, he went in weekly to have the clot examined via ultrasound, eager to jump at the opportunity to return.
While there's been no indication of whether he'll be back in action for Game 2 on Tuesday, it's no secret that when he does return, he'll give Milwaukee some added firepower as the team looks to make a run at the NBA Finals.