The 2023-24 NBA season will be full of what-ifs for the Milwaukee Bucks, who were without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo for the home stretch. Antetokounmpo injured his calf on April 9th against the Boston Celtics and it was the last time we saw him on the court.
The Bucks still landed the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, matching them up with the Indiana Pacers. Throughout the regular season, Indiana was tough for Milwaukee, as they went 4-1 against their Central Division foes.
Without Antetokounmpo in the lineup, things would be even tougher. The Milwaukee Bucks were able to win Game 1 but ceded homecourt advantage when they lost Game 2. Heading on the road, things got even bleaker for the franchise with more injuries occurring.
Khris Middleton battled through a sprained ankle, but Damian Lillard was sidelined with an Achilles issue. Lillard missed Games 4 and 5, but the Bucks were able to stave off elimination with an impressive performance from Middleton and Bobby Portis at home in Game 5.
Lillard was able to get back in the lineup for Game 6, but his return was not enough to overcome the Pacers onslaught. Indiana destroyed Milwaukee, winning 120-98 and advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and a matchup against the New York Knicks.
Had the Greek Freak been healthy, things could have certainly gone differently for the Bucks. While he did try his hardest to get back in the lineup, he admitted that he was never really close to returning.
“I tried my best to come back to help my teammates,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said Friday. “It’s kind of hard to see them being out there and not being able to help them, but I just couldn’t.
“I did all the tests I had to do, these like protocols you have to follow and have to check the boxes. I wasn’t even close at checking the boxes.”
Only able to run at 30-40 percent, the Milwaukee Bucks star had several more hurdles to clear before he would have been able to return to the court. He is going to take two or three more weeks to recover before considering his next steps.
The Summer Olympics in Paris will play a part, as Giannis Antetokounmpo has expressed an interest in playing, but Greece still needs to earn a spot in a qualification tournament in July. He should be healthy by that point, but may opt to take more time off this offseason.
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