The Milwaukee Bucks will be without a key rotation player for several months as Jae Crowder will undergo surgery to repair “a left adductor and abdominal tear,” according to the team.
Crowder exited the Bucks’ loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday with what was initially called a left groin strain. The 33-year-old Marquette University alumnus flew to Philadelphia to be examined Monday by Dr. Bill Meyers, who specializes in core muscle injuries.
Crowder will undergo surgery Tuesday and the team said he will be out for about eight weeks.
‘Tough news for Jae but unfortunately it’s kind of part of sports,’ Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin said. ‘We’ll miss his veteran presence in the locker room and on the court. His leadership, voice. I think he’ll still be able to lead us out there through his rehab. We have the best medical staff and we’ll know Jae will come back stronger and this is an opportunity for all our other guys, and particularly our young guys, to maybe some minutes and get in that rotation.’
Crowder has appeared in all nine games (two starts) and is averaging 8.1 points on 51.6% shooting from behind the three-point line in 26.7 minutes per game. He has been a key defender for the Bucks also in Griffin’s new ball pressure schemes.
‘He’s a tremendous piece of what we’re trying to do moving forward, but from what I’m told it’s approximately eight weeks and he’ll be back,’ Griffin said. ‘He’ll be back way before the playoffs to get the rhythm back. This happens in sports, so we just gotta stay positive and look at the bright side and that’s other guys going to be able to get some minutes and help this team win.’