The Bucks have been dealt a serious blow as they prepare for the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
With just three games remaining in the 2023-24 regular season, superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will be sidelined to rehab a calf injury. In a skid-snapping win over the Celtics on April 9, Antetokounmpo went down with a non-contact injury in his lower left leg.
While the nature of Antetokounmpo's non-contact injury was scary, he appears to have avoided a major injury setback, though he will miss time during the most crucial stretch of Milwaukee's season. With Game 1 of the playoffs jus days away, the Bucks will have to prepare to start their first-round series against the Pacers without their franchise player.
How much time will Antetokounmpo miss? Here is what we know about his leg injury and what it means for Milwaukee's playoff chase.
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What is Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury?
Antetokounmpo's injury is a left soleus strain, per the Bucks. The soleus is one of three separate muscles that make up the calf muscle, meaning that in other words, Antetokounmpo's injury is a left calf strain.
The nature of Antetokounmpo's injury was scary at the moment. After inbounding the ball, he went down without contact and immediately reached for his left leg. After Milwaukee's training staff tended to its star player, he walked off on his power but headed straight to the locker room.
Here is the play where it happened:
Here is the broadcast video of Giannis' injury. 😬 https://t.co/Ma2BLZCqAi pic.twitter.com/d4YYHbQHic
— Karley Marotta (@Karley_Marotta) April 10, 2024
Antetokounmpo has appeared in 73 of Milwaukee's first 79 games this season. The Bucks are 45-28 with Antetokounmpo in the lineup and 3-3 in his absence.
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How long is Giannis Antetokounmpo out?
The Bucks are preparing to be without Antetokounmpo for "the start of their opening round series," but are hopeful he can return "sometime later in the series," per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The update is dangerously vague, but it is clear that Antetokounmpo's calf is not ready to be tested in the playoffs just yet. This falls in line with the previous update that stated his status was "very much up in the air" for Game 1, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Antetokounmpo's return will depend on the healing and rehab of the strain, Charania reported. Charania added that these strains typically have a timetable of at least one to two weeks.
He suffered the injury on April 9 and Milwaukee will open the NBA Playoffs on April 20.
Giannis Antetokounmpo stats 2023-24
- 30.4 points per game
- 11.5 rebounds per game
- 6.5 assists per game
- 1.2 steals per game
- 1.1 blocks per game
- 3.4 turnovers per game
- 61.1 percent field goal shooting
- 27.4 percent 3-point shooting
- 65.7 percent free throw shooting
