Should Bucks Be Worried About Nagging Damian Lillard Injury?

On Saturday against the Sacramento Kings, nine-time All-Star Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard is slated to sit out for a second straight contest with a sore right calf, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

It's going to be the first time Lillard has been held out of consecutive games since December, an ominous sign for his health with the playoffs just 13 games away.

The Milwaukee Bucks have ruled Damian Lillard (right calf soreness) out for Saturday’s game against the Sacramento Kings. Bobby Portis (league suspension) is also out. Giannis Antetokounmpo (right patella tendinopathy) and Gary Trent Jr. (left patella tendinopathy) are probable.
— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) March 22, 2025

Per Anderson, sixth man power forward/center Bobby Portis continues to sit out. Thanks to a 25-game suspension incurred by an NBA drug policy violation, the 6-foot-10 Arkansas product won't be back on the hardwood until next month.

Newly-acquired backup center Jericho Sims, who had emerged as a productive lob target for Lillard, is also out through March with a right thumb UCL sprain.

More Milwaukee Bucks: Damian Lillard Surprisingly Ruled Out vs Kings

Two-time league MVP power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been downgraded to merely probable to play through a nagging right patella tendinopathy.

Shooting guard Gary Trent Jr., who showed out in Milwaukee's 118-89 obliteration of the very injured Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday with a superlative 23-point performance, has also seen his status downgraded to probable with a left patella tendinopathy.

According to the league's latest injury report, two-way Bucks players Jamaree Bouyea and Stanley Umude remain with the Bucks' NBAGL affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.

Only one Kings standard roster player is on the team's injury report as of this writing.

Unfortunately for Sacramento, that also happens to be the club's absolute best player. Three-time All-Star center Domantas Sabonis is on the shelf with a sprained right ankle. The 6-foot-10 big man is on the shelf for at least another week, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

Ryan Rollins started in Lillard's stead against Los Angeles. In that outing, the 6-foot-4 Toledo product scored 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting from the field (2-of-7 from distance) and 2-of-2 shooting from the charity stripe, grabbed five rebounds, dished out four dimes, swiped three steals and blocked one shot. Hardly All-Star numbers, but Rollins is more of a steadying, athletic presence than a highlight reel-worthy scoring dynamo.

Damian Lillard side step/step back 3s.

pic.twitter.com/Cxe1iGRt0Y
— Maxence (@Xenceee) March 7, 2025

As for whether Milwaukee should worry about Lillard's long-term health, it's a reasonable question.

The 34-year-old has broken down at the end of each of his last three seasons. Although he appeared in 73 regular season bouts during his debut year with Milwaukee, by the Bucks' first-round playoff matchup with the lower-seeded Indiana Pacers, he was hurt again. Lillard missed two contests in the six-game series defeat.

Resting the 6-foot-2 vet now with an eye towards an extended postseason run might behoove Bucks brass, especially if there's any lingering question about the stability of the ankle.

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