Giannis Antetokounmpo is already set to miss the start of their first-round NBA Playoffs series against the Indiana Pacers due to his calf injury. The latest update, however, could mean it’s possible he misses the whole postseason showdown.
Antetokounmpo has missed the Bucks’ final three games of the regular season due to the calf issue he sustained during their April 9 victory over the Boston Celtics. He has been sidelined since then, though there have been hopes he could recover in time for the postseason given the week-long break they would have prior to the start of the playoff games.
Latest Giannis Antetokounmpo Injury Update for Milwaukee Bucks

When Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported recently that Antetokounmpo is expected to miss the start of the series against the Pacers, the belief among Bucks fans is that it will just be Game 1 or up to the Game 2 of the battle.
However, based on the newest report from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, there remains the possibility of the Greek Freak sitting out the whole first round. Apparently, Antetokounmpo’s injury is severe enough that it could even last up to four weeks.
“He is doubtful to start this series. I’m told this injury could be anywhere from two to four weeks, potentially. And we know his superhuman ability. But that clearly puts his status for this series in jeopardy,” Charania explained.
Latest on Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s status for first-round vs. Pacers being in jeopardy. Live on @Stadium Playoff Preview show: https://t.co/UtCsaeL3G1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 18, 2024
The best-case scenario for Antetokounmpo is the two-week mark, which would be on Tuesday (April 23)–that is also the schedule for Game 2. Even if the Bucks superstar is unable to return by then, should he be game-ready by that time, he could return by Game 3 in Indiana.
Nonetheless, if Antetokounmpo’s recovery extends beyond that, things could get trickier. Game 4 is by April 28, Sunday, while the series ends May 4 if it were to reach Game 7. That is three days after the four-week mark.

The bigger concern for the Bucks is if they will be able to win a game against the Pacers without their best player. Indiana has a rather weak defense on the paint, but Antetokounmpo is Milwaukee’s best scorer in that area.
Not to mention that the Bucks are definitely less scary without the two-time NBA MVP.
Damian Lillard’s Injury Comments After Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Injury

With the latest update from Charania, it’s hard not to remember Damian Lillard’s past comments about the injury that Giannis Antetokounmpo picked up.
Lillard suffered from the same ailment–a Soleus injury to be exact–in the past, and so after he saw Giannis deal with the same problem, he shed more light on it. Aside from sharing that it really hurt, the Milwaukee Bucks guard noted that he needed two weeks to recover from it.
“That s**t hurt. It hurt. … When I did it, usually I’m able to walk things off. I feel like I have a high pain tolerance and when I did it, I started to walk, it wasn’t just that it was that painful, it was that the muscle just can’t handle it,” Lillard remembered.
“So, I think once it calmed down, you kind of figured out a way to limp around it, but it’s a weird feeling. But hearing that, I know, I know that feeling. And also as somebody who experienced that — if that’s what it is — that’s also encouraging.”
He added, “When I did it, I strained my calf and then I came back after like, I’d probably say, eight or nine days, I came back from the calf. And then … I had the soleus injury like right after I came back. I think it was like a game or two after I came back, I did my soleus. And then after that, it was like two weeks. For me, it was like two weeks and then I came back and played.”
Hopefully Giannis won’t need beyond two weeks to play again. If he did, then it gets problematic for Milwaukee.

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