Milwaukee Bucks: Midseason injury report cards

Malcolm Brogdon

The entirety of the Bucks’ fandom breathed an enormous sigh of relief the day after Brogdon went down when news was announced that it was not an ACL tear. At the time of the initial injury it was announced that a left quadricep injury was the likely diagnosis and this turned out to be true once the results of the scan came back as a tear.

While it’s certainly good news that the training staff won’t be dealing with yet another ACL rehab, it’s important to remember that a quadricep tendon tear is not exactly a walk in the park either.

Kawhi Leonard was diagnosed with a similar injury during the offseason which has kept him out for the majority of this season. While no two injuries are ever the same, this is a worrying fact for Brogdon and the Bucks as they race to have him back healthy for the playoffs.

As far as Brogdon’s injury is concerned, it’s easier to think about muscles like a rope. In a complete tendon tear, the rope was been split into two pieces. As far as Brogdon’s injury is concerned, it is only a partial tear, meaning the rope has been severely stretched and parts of it are fraying, but it is still in one piece.

Partial tears are far more easily managed as surgery is generally not required. After a period of immobilization (in a knee brace), Brogdon will currently be working through an exercise and manual therapy program aimed at managing his pain and swelling levels, while strengthening the tendon and surrounding muscles.

Once he has passed all the goals set by the medical team, he will likely be slowly integrated back into on-court solo practice before finally being allowed back with the team.

Quadricep tendon tears are a slow burn in terms of rehabilitation but due to his long-term importance with Milwaukee, it’s extremely important Brogdon is not rushed back too early. Luckily for Milwaukee, Flanagan, Hobson and their team are world class and the work they have done with Jabari Parker (twice!) is certainly encouraging for Brogdon’s current injury woes.

At this stage, a six-to-eight week recovery has been reported, which puts his return at around a week or two before the end of the regular season. While it would be ideal for Brogdon to have some playing time under his belt before the playoffs start, be prepared for that return time to change at any moment as only Brogdon will know when he’s ready to return to the team.