On Monday, the Portland Trail Blazers announced that they would go the rest of the season without superstar point guard Damian Lillard.
Dame Lillard injury update: https://t.co/kOy7Wz7Sug
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 21, 2022
Lillard has been out since New Year’s Eve after the Blazers shut him down for 10 days to recover from an abdominal injury. He first suffered the injury while playing for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics. Lillard decided to undergo surgery on his abdomen in January.
The injury seemed to impact his performance this season; Dame averaged 24.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game on a career-low 40.2 percent clip from the field and a career-low 32.4 percent shooting from the three-point line.
The announcement that Lillard will miss the rest of the season with the Blazers only having 12 games to go in the regular season. At 26-44, it’s been a season full of unexpected struggles, and a little bit of drama after longtime head coach Terry Stotts agreed to part ways. The Blazers also relieved Neil Olshey of his front office duties in December.
