Milwaukee Bucks All-Star point guard Damian Lillard was diagnosed with a torn left Achilles tendon, according to sources who spoke to ESPN’s Sham Charania on Monday.
“I can report here now, [that] Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with a torn left Achilles tendon injury,” Charania said on SportsCenter. “An MRI today revealed the severity, and this is a devastating end to his season… His season is over, obviously.”
Just in: Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with a torn left Achilles tendon, sources tell ESPN. MRI today revealed the severity. A devastating end to his season. pic.twitter.com/ysZ0nw8gxW
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 28, 2025
In the first quarter of the Bucks’ 129-103 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Lillard hurt himself while trying to grab an offensive rebound. After he tapped the ball away to a teammate, Lillard fell to the ground, where he remained as he grabbed at his left leg.
During the next stoppage of play, Lillard was helped to his feet but needed assistance getting off the court since he was unable to put any weight on his left leg. He was later ruled out for the remainder of the game.
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The final nail in the coffin for the Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks already looked pretty hapless with Damian Lillard on the court. Going into last night, they had only one win in three playoff games, and that victory was largely due to Gary Trent Jr., who needed 37 points to lift the Bucks over the Pacers.
Yesterday’s game wasn’t out of reach by any means when the injury occurred. Milwaukee was down 15-12 with a little over half of the first quarter gone. However, the injury sucked all of the air and excitement out of the arena. Before doctors could report anything or provide their analysis, fans were able to identify that Lillard had torn his ACL. This mental burden proved too much for the Bucks to overcome, as they went on to be outscored 99-79 in the final three-quarters of the game.
Things were already going poorly before this injury. Kyle Kuzma, whom they traded for in the middle of the season, has seen his scoring output fall by 8.5 points per game so far this postseason. Brook Lopez, who has been just as bad as Kuzma, has also seen his playoff scoring decrease by 7.2 points per game compared to the regular season.
“He’s one of the toughest, mentally toughest, guys I’ve ever been around.”
Giannis has the ultimate respect for Dame. pic.twitter.com/3nKFwNimcn
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 28, 2025
Yes, the Bucks have an MVP candidate with Giannis Antetokounmpo. His play has backed up these claims since he leads all players this postseason in points (33.8) and rebounds (14.3). Unfortunately for Giannis, he is just one man and cannot beat an entire roster all by himself, especially when the Pacers lead all playoff teams in field goal percentage (50.9%).
Last night was Milwaukee’s best shot to turn things around. It was their last home game before heading back to Indianapolis, where the Pacers are 31-11 this season. Without Damian Lillard in the lineup for the rest of the playoffs, Indiana will end the Bucks’ season when they meet tomorrow night.
It’s time for the Bucks to build towards the future
I am a Milwaukee Bucks fan, so when I say it is time for this team to blow up its core and move on, you can guarantee I have the best of intentions in mind when I make that suggestion. One of the Bucks’ two best players is a soon-to-be 35-year-old guard who just blew out his knee. The other superstar on their roster has shown no signs of slowing down, but with the physicality that Antetokounmpo relies on for success, his dominance will soon come to an end.
This is going to sound absolutely ludicrous, but I think the Bucks need to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo. His value will never be higher than it is now, which means the Bucks can secure assets to build toward the future. That is critical because, as things currently stand, there is no future for the Milwaukee Bucks.
What do y’all think will be Giannis’ next move?
pic.twitter.com/gkPQkpATn4— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) April 28, 2025
Five of the Bucks’ top eight scorers will be at least 30 when next season starts. Meanwhile, none of Milwaukee’s young rotational players are signed to the team beyond the end of the 2025-26 season. Lastly, they have four total picks in the next three drafts and zero first-round picks this year, so they can’t even add young talent if they want to. Did I mention they traded away their 2024 first-round pick (AJ Johnson) for Kyle Kuzma, and he responded by increasing his scoring output from 2.9 points to 9.1?
It’s too late to move on from Damian Lillard. The Bucks will just have to wait and hope he returns to full health before moving on from him next off-season. However, when Milwaukee is bounced out of the playoffs tomorrow, they can start fielding offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will bring in plenty of young talent and draft capital. Unfortunately, that’s NOT what I see them doing. They will continue to cling to Giannis until he inevitably leaves Wisconsin when his contract expires at the end of the 2027-28 season.
I love Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is the best player in Milwaukee Bucks history. But the Bucks have done everything they can with him on their roster. Winning a championship in 2021 and making the playoffs for nine consecutive years is incredibly impressive. However, it’s clear that Milwaukee can no longer field a team that can honestly win a championship as it’s currently constructed.
