Damian Lillard was forced to exit the Orlando bubble after injuring his right knee during Game 4 of the Portland Trail Blazers' playoff series with the Los Angeles Lakers. Lillard failed to return in time for Game 5 and his team lost the showdown while Portland fans were left to worry if the point guard will be sidelined a long time.
Initial reports indicated that Lillard's knee injury was non-contact, which in many cases lead to long-term healing and rehabilitation. It seemed possible that the five-time All-Star will miss a lot of games and perhaps not be ready for the next season opening in December.
However, a closer check of Lillard's knee revealed that Portland fans have nothing to fear. The star only suffered a mild knee sprain and what lies ahead for him is the best-case scenario, NBC Sports reported, citing the information shared by NBA insider Shams Charania.
The report from doctors in Portland showed that Lillard is not in danger of incurring serious damages from the sprain and the potential him developing a lingering knee problem has been ruled out. In other words, the risk of the star not suiting up for the Trail Blazers at the start of the campaign next is no longer there.
All that Lillard needs at the moment is a long break and he is surely getting in the next few months.
"There's no concern long-term or any seriousness to the knee injury which is obviously a positive sign for a Blazers team ... Now he is gonna have some time to rest, recover, and get started with an offseason," Charania was reported as saying.
Thanks to the re-examination, doctors confirmed that the injury sustained by the player will not require surgical intervention. Dame will not be dealing with ACL or MCL so it will be a speedy recovery for him.
Needless to say, the medical update is something to rejoice for the Trail Blazers crowd. Lillard is the player that matters for Portland and he powered the team to earn the right to face off with the Lakers. Dame was so impressive in the Orlando games that the NBA honored him as the MVP in the bubble setup, Clutch Points reported.
The numbers in the season are in support of Lillard's excellent run that stretched for 66 games, and in which the star turned in over 30 points every outing with 8 assists and 4.3 rebounds. Portland failed to advance deep into the postseason but it's undeniable that Lillard showcased a superstar performance.
At one time, pundits even entertained the scenario of the Trail Blazers eliminating the Lakers in the first round and thus frustrating the mission by LeBron James to win an NBA title in Los Angeles. It is possible though that Lillard can finally do it next year.
