The Milwaukee Bucks will be without guard Malcolm Brogdon for approximately 6-8 weeks after he suffered a partially torn left quadricep tendon.
After an anxious wait for all involved and invested in the Milwaukee Bucks, the team finally provided an official update on the status of Malcolm Brogdon’s health on Friday afternoon.
Brogdon suffered a non-contact injury in the first half of the Bucks’ Thursday night loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and having been helped off the court by teammates, and leaving the arena with a stabilizing cast on his left leg, there was plenty of cause for Bucks fans to fear the worst.
In an official statement from the Bucks, it was confirmed that the reigning of the Rookie of the Year will be set for a spell on the sidelines.
"“Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon suffered a left quadricep tendon injury during the second quarter of last night’s game at Minnesota. This morning, he underwent an MRI and subsequent examination by team physician Dr. William Raasch at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin. The exam revealed a partially torn left quadricep tendon that is expected to sideline Brogdon for 6-to-8 weeks.”"
That timeline would give Brogdon a chance to return toward the end of the regular season –ahead of the playoffs — if everything goes to plan in his recovery.
With Brogdon’s injury coming the night before Jabari Parker‘s long-awaited return from injury, a sense of dread for the official diagnosis was both understandable and inevitable. When Parker tore his ACL almost a year ago to the day, he did so on the same night that Khris Middleton came back from a torn hamstring.
As news of Brogdon’s condition was anticipated, it was both literally and figuratively Groundhog Day for the Bucks.
With all of that in mind, the fact that Brogdon could have a chance to come back this season must be viewed as a major positive. There are plenty of games to be played between now and then, and countless potential hurdles to overcome, but the hope of the Bucks finally getting to play their most important players together isn’t dead for the current campaign.
The one word of caution must come in noting that quadricep tendon injuries can be troublesome. Although he’s dealing with a more complex, lingering injury than Brogdon’s, Kawhi Leonard has missed much of the current season due to issues with his quad tendons. Just over a week ago, Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com even spoke to Jack Maloney of CBS Sports about some of the challenges that can come from injuries to that particular muscle group.
The hope will be that Brogdon has a much more straightforward and simple recovery process, allowing him to continue building on what’s been a stellar follow-up to his rookie season. Brogdon is averaging 13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game this year, while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from deep.
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The focus for the Bucks will now turn to whether they explore trade options to provide further cover at guard over the course of Brogdon’s absence, or decide to trust in their existing options.