The Milwaukee Bucks have been behind shorthanded at the start of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Their star player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has yet to take the court against the Indiana Pacers as he deals with a calf injury.
Antetokounmpo suffered the injury on April 9th in a matchup against the Boston Celtics. It was expected to be a multi-week injury, with a 2-4 week timetable. The two-week mark hit on Tuesday, which has some people optimistic that he could be nearing a return.
However, a recent update does not paint a rosy picture for Antetokounmpo. According to NBA Insider Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Milwaukee could be without their star for a little while longer. He hasn’t progressed to anything that would insinuate that he is close to getting on the court.
“I’m told [Giannis Antetokounmpo] has at least started to do some stationary jump shooting…But still not much cutting, no scrimmaging, no all out running yet…I think the Bucks have to be prepared to keep playing on without Giannis,” Charania said during a segment on Run It Back on FanDuel TV.
That certainly doesn’t sound like a player who is close to getting back on the court. Contact is usually the last hurdle a player needs to get over before returning, but Antetokounmpo sounds to be several steps away from even attempting that.
Without Antetokounmpo in the lineup, the Bucks have split the first two games of their series against the Pacers. After a dominant performance in Game 1, Indiana settled in and picked up a huge victory in Game 2.
Milwaukee has had no answer for Pascal Siakam, who Antetokounmpo would likely be matching up with. He has torched whoever Doc Rivers has turned to as his defensive assignment, scoring 73 points with 24 rebounds and eight assists through two games.
Without the Greek Freak, the Bucks have gone through some ugly droughts, as Damian Lillard has carried the team in the first half of each game but seen his production plummet in the second half. Rivers needs to figure out a game plan for heading back to Indiana or the Bucks’ stay in the 2024 NBA Playoffs will be a short one.
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