Predicting When Bucks' Damian Lillard Will Be Available in Playoffs

The Milwaukee Bucks are in a difficult spot entering the 2025 NBA playoffs. They earned the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and will face off with the Indiana Pacers, who knocked out the Bucks last year on their journey to the conference finals.

The Bucks were missing Giannis Antetokounmpo in last year’s series, and entered this year’s series without Damian Lillard due to a blood clot. However, recent reports are suggesting Lillard has been cleared to return at some point in the playoffs.

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However, no specific timetable has been given for Lillard’s return, making predicting when he will actually return a fun exercise.

The information that is known about the situation is that Lillard will miss Game 1. That makes it hard to believe that Lillard is actually 100% ready to return as of now. That likely means he still needs a bit of time to ramp up before an actual return.

In theory, that means Lillard could return relatively soon, but likely in a limited fashion. Going back to what the Boston Celtics did with Kristaps Porzingis last season, the Bucks could follow a similar formula.

Lillard’s injury is a bit of a freaky situation, which could have the Bucks on edge regarding his potential return, but that isn’t all that different from the Celtics and Porzingis, given Porzingis’s extensive injury history.

With Porzingis, the Celtics brought him back slowly. He didn’t really make a significant impact until the NBA finals, a luxury that the Bucks may not have, but they could follow a similar formula in the first round.

After playing in the first four games of the NBA playoffs, Porzingis played three games in the NBA finals, where he logged 20 minutes, 23 minutes, and 16 minutes.

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After likely missing the first two games, Lillard could log similar minutes in games, which would likely come sooner if the Bucks go down in the series.

Following all of that, Lillard seems most likely to return by Game 4 of the series, potentially Game 3 if the Bucks go down 2-0. However, it’s possible he won’t be fully allowed to play without limits until later in playoffs, possibly not until the second round if the Bucks make it that far.

Really, what it will come down to is how well the Bucks play without Lillard in the lineup, and how much they actually need him to advance in the playoffs.

For more news and notes on the Milwaukee Bucks, head on over to Milwaukee Bucks on SI.