Bucks’ Jae Crowder to be sidelined for two months with injury

MILWAUKEE – Bucks forward Jae Crowder suffered a torn left adductor and abdomen that will sideline him for approximately two months, the team announced Monday.

Crowder left Saturday’s game against the Magic with what the team initially called a groin strain. He flew to Philadelphia to be further evaluated by Dr. Bill Meyers, who specializes in serious injuries. Crowder is expected to undergo surgery on Tuesday.

“Sports can be brutal sometimes,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said before Monday’s game against the Bulls. “[Crowder] came to training camp in phenomenal shape — mind, body and spirit — and he’s a tremendous part of what we’re trying to do going forward. »

Crowder, 33, has been one of Milwaukee’s most pleasant surprises through the first nine games of the season. He averaged 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds on 53% shooting (52% from 3) while logging the third-most minutes per game on the team behind stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

The Bucks acquired Crowder at the trade deadline last February, but after sitting out the first half of the 2022-23 season, he never found a rhythm in 18 games for the Bucks. However, under Griffin, Crowder became one of the team’s key reserves, appearing in all nine games this year and making two spot starts while forward Khris Middleton remained at power forward in back-to-back games.

“He’ll come back,” Griffin said of Crowder. “He’ll be back well before the playoffs to get his rhythm back.”