When we heard Damian Lillard and “blood clot” in the same sentence, every Bucks fan’s heart skipped like four beats. This ain’t a rolled ankle or some random day-to-day soreness. Blood clots are real-life scary — like, “do I even care about the playoffs anymore?” scary. But leave it to Damian Lillard to approach a medical crisis like he’s down three with the rock in crunch time: poised, calm, and still thinking about the next play.

I mean, he’s played through pain before — ankles, knees, even the Achilles scare. But this? This was different. And it didn’t just shake Damian Lillard the player — it shook Damian Lillard, the father, the cousin, the man with people who depend on him. “I got kids, I got a big family,” he said, his voice heavy with more than just concern. That fear wasn’t just about missing games. It was about not being there at all.

What made it worse? He’d lived this story already. “One of my closest cousins in 2021 had a blood clot… he ended up having a pulmonary embolism and dying.” So when the diagnosis came, the fear hit differently. As such, Doc Rivers wasn’t exactly shocked when asked if he thought Damian Lillard was done for the season. “Yeah, I honestly wouldn’t have been surprised at all,” he said. And that’s from a coach who’s seen it all.

But instead of retreating, Lillard turned to what Doc Rivers now calls his “hope creed.” “He just kept saying, ‘I’m going to get through this,’” Rivers shared. “Honestly, guys — listen — like did anybody think? We didn’t know. We were hopeful. As a coach, I always have to prepare for the worst. But every report just kept getting better and better.”

And somehow, Lillard made it happen.

A Damian Lillard comeback written in hope, fueled by strategy

Turns out, his energy was contagious. Every report just kept getting better and better, and now? Damian Lillard is off the blood thinners, back in full-contact workouts, and apparently ready to suit up at any moment. Yeah, not Game 1, but don’t be surprised if he shows up sooner than expected.

And the timing? Couldn’t be better!

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The Bucks are sitting pretty with a 59-35 record with Damian Lillard, and an embarrassing 1-8 without him. His return doesn’t just lift morale — it changes everything on the floor. In fact, Coach Rivers also addressed what this means for Giannis Antetokounmpo’s role. When asked about Giannis’ “cookie jar” comments and increased ball-handling duties, Doc confirmed the Bucks plan to keep running actions with ‘The Greek Freak’ as the primary initiator, even with Dame back in the mix.

“Yeah, that won’t change much,” he said. “You know, it’ll help us — especially against this team, because they pressure us. Pressure us a lot. We worked on a lot of actions with all our guards, including Dame, with the point guard not having the ball and Giannis having it. So it absolutely helps us.”

And that team? The Indiana Pacers, about to get a taste of their own medicine. Haliburton & Co.’s defense? Oh boy, where do we even start? They press like they’re on fast-forward, but here’s the issue — they’re terrible at it. The Pacers rank 26th in defensive rating (115.5), allowing a crazy 48.3% shooting from the field and 43.7% from three. They’re basically handing out open looks like candy. And with both Giannis and Dame on court?

The whole pressure turns into a double-edged sword. Doc summed it up best: “His attitude was phenomenal.” And now that energy is back on the floor.

So if you thought the Bucks were good before, wait until you see them with a healthy Damian Lillard back. They’re about to be a serious problem.