Optimism still remains in the air surrounding the star guard’s return
Some more concrete news just dropped regarding Damian Lillard’s prognosis with the first round of the NBA playoffs five days away. According to the latest report from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Damian Lillard will indeed miss the start of the postseason due to his blood clot. Considering the lack of certainty surrounding the superstar’s timeline, this is pretty unsurprising news, even though Charania reported optimism in the organization regarding Lillard’s return over the weekend.
However, according to the report, Dame has made “significant progress” with the clot and optimism remains in the air in Milwaukee. He is continuing to ramp up his basketball activity this week. Whether that means he’s been cleared for contact drills or is just continuing to do conditioning and getting shots up, as he’s reportedly been doing, we don’t yet know. General manager Jon Horst said, “Damian’s health remains our No. 1 priority. We have followed strict protocols and will continue to do so. We are pleased with the positive news about Damian’s progress.”
FROM SHAMS:
Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard (blood clot) will miss the start of the NBA playoffs, sources tell ESPN. Bucks play Game 1 of the first round against the Pacers on Saturday. Lillard has been sidelined since March 18, and doctors continue to monitor progress for clearance.
— Shams Charania Tweets (& Other NBA News) (@shamsbot.bsky.social) 2025-04-15T16:23:39.654146+00:00
While the positive progress is great news, it’s worth noting the report doesn’t specify that Lillard could return for the first round versus the Pacers, instead saying he may be cleared “at some point in the playoffs.” He’ll miss the start of the NBA playoffs, not the start of the first round. The timeline for his return is still completely up in the air. This means Bucks fans should be prepared to not see Dame suit up at all against their division rivals. The nine-time All-Star’s production and presence will be sorely missed—just last year, he put up 31.3 points per game in the first-round loss to Indiana.
The Bucks and Pacers will tip off their rematch series this Saturday, April 19th, at 12 p.m. CDT. If we receive any further updates from Doc Rivers today when he speaks to the media, we’ll include them here. Whatever happens, here’s hoping Dame recovers fully and takes the time he needs in doing so.