SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 18: Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts untucking his … More jersey after the Golden State Warriors defeated the Bucks 104-93 at Chase Center on March 18, 2025 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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The Milwaukee Bucks’ 2024-25 season just took a defibrillator to the chest—and flatlined. Damian Lillard, the seven-time All-NBA guard, has been sidelined indefinitely with a deep vein thrombosis—a blood clot in his right calf.
The news, first reported by ESPN on Tuesday, hits harder than a Giannis drive to the rim. The Bucks were already staggering through a season of injuries, misfires, and missed opportunities, but this feels like the final blow.
Lillard will be on blood thinners and under regular testing, reported to be out “indefinitely.” However, The Athletic reported there is a “great deal of optimism he’ll return this season.” Without Lillard, any remaining championship hopes—already wobbling like a Jenga tower missing its foundation—have officially crumbled.
Even before Lillard’s diagnosis, Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t exactly radiating confidence. In a candid interview with The Athletic, he sounded less like a locked-in MVP and more like a guy realizing the walls are closing in.
When asked about why nobody is talking about the Bucks as title contenders, his answer was simple, “No, we’re not.” He didn’t outright say “we’re cooked,” but the subtext was louder than Fiserv Forum after a Khris Middleton dagger—back when Middleton was still a Buck.
Oh, right. About that.
The Bucks traded Middleton at the deadline, sending him, rookie AJ Johnson, and a pick swap to Washington for Kyle Kuzma. General manager Jon Horst framed it as a win-now move, a way to maximize Giannis and Lillard’s window.
Bold in theory, wobbly in execution.
Kuzma, to put it kindly, hasn’t been the answer. He’s averaging 14 points on clunky efficiency while looking like he’s still figuring out where the locker room is. Middleton’s absence has been glaring, especially in crunch time, and Kuzma’s struggles have only amplified Milwaukee’s disarray.
Then there’s Bobby Portis. The Bucks’ bench spark plug turned suspension casualty is still serving a 25-game ban, leaving Milwaukee’s second unit without its emotional leader.
His absence has been like pulling the bassline out of a funk song—the rhythm’s gone, and the second unit has been as flat as an old can of soda.
With 11 games left in the regular season, the Bucks sit at 40-31, clinging to fifth place in the East but barely keeping it together.
Doc Rivers, the veteran coach brought in to steady the ship, has struggled to keep it from capsizing. Under his watch, the Bucks have looked less like a contender and more like a team that just met at a pickup run.
The Giannis-Lillard two-man game, once hyped as basketball’s next great symphony, has too often sounded off-key—plagued by injuries, inconsistency, and a lack of reps. Right when they were making progress, this injury derails their time on the court together.
When the Bucks’ offense clicks, it’s beautiful—Giannis bulldozing, Lillard sniping—but too often, it’s devolved into a disjointed mess, like a jazz band where everyone’s playing a different tune.
Lillard’s diagnosis is more than just a setback—it’s the final confirmation that this season has unraveled beyond repair.
The 34-year-old guard was supposed to be Milwaukee’s closer, the guy who could swing tight games with a flick of his wrist. Now, with no clear timeline for his return, the burden falls squarely on Antetokounmpo.
And while Giannis is a one-man wrecking crew, even he can’t drag this roster through the East’s playoff gauntlet alone.
Boston, Cleveland, and New York are licking their chops, ready to feast on a Bucks team missing its point guard, its bench leader, and its identity. That’s assuming Milwaukee even gets past a team like Indiana in the first round.
This season was supposed to be the Bucks’ redemption arc—Year 2 of the Giannis-Dame experiment, a full campaign with Rivers at the helm.
Instead, it’s turned into a tragedy of errors:
- Injuries piling up like unpaid bills
- A trade that backfired
- A suspension that gutted the bench
- A coach who still can’t find the right lineup
Antetokounmpo will drag this squad into the playoffs—his sheer force of will is the stuff of legend. But a deep run?
That’s a pipe dream, as distant as a Lillard 40-footer that won’t be coming anytime soon.
So here we are, Bucks fans. A season that started with title hopes has officially crashed and burned. The championship window isn’t just closing—it might already be locked shut.
