Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard hasn’t played since December 31 due to a lingering abdominal injury. According to a report by Brian Windhorst, Lillard is now considering surgery to address the issue.
The specifics of the procedure are yet to be determined by doctors but Windhorst notes that procedures like this are expected to keep Lillard out of action for six-to-eight weeks.
The 31-year-old Lillard aggravated the abdominal injury while playing for Team USA at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics. All season long, he was struggling with the injury and it impacted his stats. After averaging 30 points and 28.8 points per game in the last two seasons, the six-time All-Star has averaged 24 points in 29 games this NBA season.
The Blazers currently find themselves in 10th place in the Western Conference at 16-24 and they are 4-7 without Lillard during the season. The team is also playing with CJ McCollum, who is out indefinitely with a collapsed lung.
The Blazers are looking at a disappointing follow-up to last season’s 42-3o season and likely won’t get much better if they have to be without Lillard and McCollom for a significant amount of time. Still, some NBA folks feel that shutting down Lillard in order to make sure he’s healthy in the future is the best course of action.
Glad he'll have the opportunity to heal. I'm no professional athlete, but Dame and I are the same age and I can tell you that if I had a lingering abdominal issue I wouldn't be able to tie my shoes, much less play basketball. This is great news. https://t.co/XZx5lhTgSH
— David MacKay (@DavidMacKayNBA) January 12, 2022
This is good news.
Let Dame get better, let the rest of the team get more time, make some moves with the interim GM and come back strong next season! https://t.co/6WXTYItSWt— Dia (@diandraann) January 12, 2022
Good, get the problem addressed, sit the year, get a top ten pick, balance the roster a bit with a trade or 2 and see ya next year with a healthy and hungry Lillard https://t.co/iKqF0V8A5V
— Sgt Thunderfist M.D. aka Jason Scukanec aka Suke (@suke1080) January 12, 2022
This is the right move: https://t.co/RBUwg6WYaE
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) January 12, 2022
Hopefully, Lillard will be able to heal up and get back to action soon enough. Considered one of the best players in the NBA today, the Blazers and the league are better when Dame is on the court.
