Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’ve been laughing about this airball all morning. 

In today’s SI:AM:
🏟️ MLB ballparks, ranked
🏈 Draft ripples for Russ signing
⭐ Padres’ young star

Bad news for the Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks got some bad news on Tuesday when point guard Damian Lillard was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (a type of blood clot), which will sideline him indefinitely. 

Lillard missed Milwaukee’s previous three games with what the team had initially called a calf injury. Consultations with specialists in recent days led to the diagnosis of the clot, and Lillard was prescribed blood thinners. The Bucks said the medication has stabilized the clot and that the issue “is very unlikely to occur again”, but there is still no timeline for his return. Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that “there is a great deal of optimism that he will return this season”, but with only 11 games left in the regular season, time is running out. 

The Bucks have been fine without Lillard this season, going 8–5 when he isn’t in the lineup, but they’re also averaging roughly seven points fewer per game when he doesn’t play, according to ESPN.

Deep vein thrombosis is the same issue that prematurely ended San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama’s season last month. Several other athletes have also dealt with the same condition—most notably Chris Bosh, who saw his career end at age 31 due to repeated clotting issues. It’s a frightening condition that can be potentially deadly if left untreated, and so Lillard’s health should be the primary concern. 

“It’s unfortunate that something outside of my control would come up,” Lillard said in a statement. “Along with the Bucks’ medical staff, our priorities are to protect my health and safety. As much as I love basketball, I need to be there for my kids and my family. I’m grateful the Bucks acted quickly on this. They’ve been supportive and proactive throughout this process. I look forward to moving past this and continuing my career.”

But Lillard’s absence also has significant implications for the rest of the Bucks’ season. Milwaukee took a big swing when it pulled off a blockbuster trade before last season to acquire Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers, trading away Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen and three first-round picks as part of a three-team deal that also included the Phoenix Suns. The idea was that the more offensively gifted Lillard would be a better partner for Giannis Antetokounmpo than Holiday (a good offensive player, but more known for his defense). It didn’t work out. The Bucks finished 49–33, their worst winning percentage since the 2017–18 season, and lost to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs. 

The Bucks are 40–31 so far this season, good for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They’re two games behind the Pacers for fourth and home-court advantage in the first round, but also in a virtual tie with the sixth-place Detroit Pistons. At the very least Lillard’s absence threatens to harm Milwaukee’s playoff position. The worst-case scenario is that, with the playoffs set to begin in three weeks, he remains unavailable in the postseason and the short-handed Bucks bow out in the first round for the third year in a row.

The best of Sports Illustrated

• On the eve of Opening Day, eight of our writers and editors teamed up to rank every ballpark in Major League Baseball. 

• Nick Selbe has a great profile of Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill, who’s looking to build on an excellent rookie campaign that was unfortunately overshadowed by Paul Skenes’s even better debut. 

• Tom Verducci thinks these five MLB teams could make surprise playoff runs this season. 

• Patrick Andres, Ryan Phillips and Tim Capurso put together our first MLB power rankings of the season. 

• Now that the Giants have signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, Conor Orr looks at what it might mean for Shedeur Sanders. 

• Albert Breer’s latest mailbag leads with an explanation of why the Giants decided to sign Wilson.

• A couple of college basketball coaching carousel updates: Xavier is set to hire New Mexico’s Richard Pitino, and VCU is closing in on Phil Martelli Jr. from Bryant. 

• The NWSL expansion team in Boston has a new name. 

The top five…

… things I saw last night: 

5. The Heat’s tribute video for Jimmy Butler in his return to Miami. 

4. This utterly confounding sequence by LaMelo Ball. In the span of 10 seconds, he took one of the worst shots you’ll ever see and also buried a ridiculous three. 

3. Alex Ovechkin’s 889th career goal, bringing him within six of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. Oh, and it tied the game in the final four minutes of regulation (although the Jets went on to win in overtime). 

2. Heat rookie Kel’el Ware’s mid-air adjustment for an impressive layup. 

1. Jazz forward KJ Martin’s horrendous airball. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to call it the worst airball in NBA history. 


This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | Damian Lillard’s Health Issue Spells Trouble for Bucks .