Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. He is already on the blood-thinning medication and will be required to be out for an indefinite period, meaning that he will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 NBA season. This is a huge blow for the Milwaukee Bucks, especially because this will put more of a workload on Giannis Antetokounmpo as the Bucks are looking for postseason success this season. This Lillard news puts a huge damper on that.
Lillard 2024-25 Season Review
Lillard was having a strong 2024-25 season, averaging 24.9 points per game, 7.1 assists per game, and 1.2 steals per game. Lillard was shooting 44% from the field and 37% from three-point range before he was first diagnosed with a right calf strain, then a deeper analysis found the blood clot.
This is the second star player this season to be diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis this season the first being San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama. The Bucks are put in a tough position now without Lillard because that’s a huge part of their offense, just gone like that for the year, as they are still without Bobby Portis, who is still suspended until April 8th.
Conclusion
The Bucks’ chances go down significantly in the East now without Lillard, even though they still have Antetokounmpo and Kyle Kuzma as primary scoring options. The lack of that veteran guard is going to cost them in the deep run of the playoffs, especially one of Lillard’s stature and clutch factor, as he has hit many big shots in his career, especially the two series winners that he has had in his career.
This devastating news could cost the Bucks to tumble in the standings enough to where they don’t have an advantageous position and would have to play the Cavaliers in the first round as the eighth seed if they’re not careful. Prayers go out to Damian Lillard as he recovers from this clot. Total Apex Sports is the place to be for the latest news on the NBA, including bombs like this one.
