Milwaukee Bucks star guard Damian Lillard is optimistic about returning to the court soon.
During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania shared a significant update on Lillard, revealing that the 34-year-old is hopeful of making his return in about a week.
Is Dame coming back to the #Bucks quicker than we think?? 👀
🎙️@ShamsCharania x @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/ObVIi4J57b
— ESPN Milwaukee (@ESPNMilwaukee) April 2, 2025
“He’s hopeful that he’ll be cleared within the next week or week and a half to fully participate and return to playing games for the Bucks,” Charania said.
He also mentioned that Lillard’s treatment has been promising, and the issue was identified in time.
While Lillard remains optimistic, Bucks co-owner Wes Edens isn’t as certain. In a recent interview with Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Edens expressed uncertainty about how things will unfold.
“Health is everything in the NBA, and we’ve had some bad luck with injuries around the playoffs over the past four years. Dame’s top priority, and ours for him, is his overall health. He’s an incredible basketball player, but even more so, he’s an outstanding person. Our focus is on his well-being. As for what that means in the short or long term, I honestly don’t know. You can only compete with the players available, and we’ll have Bobby (Portis) back soon. We’ve got a great team otherwise,” Edens said.
Lillard has been sidelined since March 18, when he played against the Golden State Warriors. With just seven games remaining in the season and a little over two weeks before the playoffs, there is still a possibility he could get some game time before the postseason begins.
Lillard has been crucial to the Bucks’ offense, even though the team’s overall performance hasn’t lived up to expectations.
Despite that, his scoring and clutch plays have been vital for Milwaukee. On the season, Lillard is averaging 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 44.8% from the field and 37.6% from beyond the arc across 58 games, playing an average of 36.1 minutes per game.
The Bucks have a 3-4 record without Lillard in the lineup.
Looking ahead, the Bucks will only play two teams with records above .500 for the remainder of the season: the Timberwolves and their division rivals, the Detroit Pistons (twice).
Finishing the season strong will be essential for the Bucks if they hope to move up the standings, as they are currently holding the sixth seed.
