Damian Lillard has been out for almost two weeks and now the Trail Blazers will have him out even longer with the star guard now undergoing surgery.
The Portland Trail Blazers haven’t had star guard Damian Lillard on the floor since Dec. 31 as he’s been nursing an abdominal injury that has plagued him a bit. The hope was that rest and some cortisone shots would allow him to return to the floor sooner rather than later.
Instead, the team will continue for the foreseeable future without Lillard on the floor.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Lillard will undergo surgery to repair the injury. As a result, the Trail Blazers will be without their star indefinitely.
Damian Lillard injury: Surgery leaves Trail Blazers without guard indefinitely
Despite Lillard’s recent absence and being without C.J. McCollum for a lengthy amount of time, Portland would make the play-in tournament for the playoffs if the season ended today with a paltry 16-24 record this season.
While Lillard not returning for some time puts a damper on any playoff hopes, though, Portland is undoubtedly playing this right with their superstar.
It’s become clear — largely from the words out of Lillard’s mouth — that the guard wants to stay with the Trail Blazers for the long haul. With that said, if Portland wants to commit to him through the rest of his prime as he’s now 31 years old, they would be best served to make sure that he’s as healthy as possible.
Though it would be admirably tough for Lillard to try and play through this abdominal injury, it’s indeed in his and the team’s best interest to get the surgery, get healed, and be ready with a hopefully improved roster ready to help the Trail Blazers compete.