Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Point Guard Damian Lillard has been cleared for his deep vein thrombosis and is no longer on blood-thinning medication, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday.
Just three weeks after being excluded indefinitely due to blood clots, Lillard received remarkable and historical medical news by clearing the clot so quickly thanks to early detection and treatment.
While Lillard will not play in Saturday’s Game 1 against Indiana Pacers, Bucks Guard will have a time to increase contact training before a return to basketball. No immediate timeline has been set for his return.
I am not a doctor, but leave basketball out of this, it seems like a big win for Lillard. As a fan of basketball, we have seen that Chris Bosh must retire because of blood clots. A similar health horror shortened the promising defensive player for the annual campaign for the young Phenom Victor Wembanyama this season as well.
It is a remarkable win to get Lillard back on the floor in general. But in three weeks? It is phenomenal work of all involved.
At the court, no one denies that Bucks will need Lillard’s services sooner than later. Without Lillard, Milwaukee was an impressive 16-8. When the news of these blood clots appeared, many had written Bucks for dead in a top -heavy East Conference.
Milwaukee drew an extremely difficult matchup with the first round with Pacers, which is one of the best offensive teams in the Eastern Conference. Driven by point guard Tyrese haliburton can the pacers flatten out on the floor and put the ball into the basket at an incredibly fast clip, so Lillard’s offensive skill will be needed.
According to Fanduel Sportsbook, Bucks is a small +140 sub -dog to get out of the first round. It is expected to be the most competitive first round series in the east. If they avoid the high palling pacers, they will probably have a semi-final in the conference with Cleveland Cavaliers-which ended the season as no. 1 seed in the east with the No 1 crime in the NBA.
Lillard was on average almost 25 points per match before he is excluded. He was on average just over seven assists per match as well. Bucks will surely welcome all this, as Giannis Antetokounmpo will need his Robin Frisk and available for Bucks to have literally any chance in the NBA finals this season.
Nationally, the story about the eastern conference has been about Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. It’s great that Lillard is even medically accessible to give it once, because Bucks may need another miracle out of him to make sounds during this mail season.
