2 min read • January 12, 2022
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The Trail Blazers announced on Wednesday that star Damian Lillard will undergo surgery to repair lower abdominal tendinopathy that has hampered him since the Olympics last August.
While the decision is a drastic one, our team of ProBasketballDocs believe it is the correct course of action. We inferred after Lillard's initial absence in November that the core muscle injury was serious and would eventually lead to surgery if it wasn't corrected by rest and modalities.
The team reportedly said he will be out for at least 6-8 weeks, but are not set on an official timeline for his return.
Core muscle injuries are inherently difficult to solve, and in what is already a lost season due to his and various other ailments, now is the time to get his body right as the franchise attempts to find it's next management team and re-vamp the roster.
After a slow start to the season, the 31-year-old missed 5 games in November and December, but returned after receiving a cortisone injection. His shooting improved, but the team held him again in early January after only 9 games back.
The Blazers, 16-24, are currently the 10th seed, which would put in the NBA's play-in torunament. Portland will turn to young guards Anfernee Simons, Dennis Smith Jr., and Nassir Little with now Lillard and McCollum out indefinitely.
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