Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo infamously hyperextended his knee in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks in 2021. Even though he was miraculously was able to come back and lead the Bucks to the NBA Championship, the knee has caused him to miss games ever since.
Earlier today, Shams Charania of The Athletic revealed that Giannis underwent a cleanup procedure on his knee two weeks ago. It is the reason why he is not playing in the FIBA World Cup for Greece this summer.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo underwent a cleanup procedure on his knee two weeks ago and is uncertain for Greece’s FIBA World Cup play this summer, sources confirm.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 5, 2023
Giannis Antetokounmpo Will Be Ready for the Milwaukee Bucks Regular Season
While it is concerning at first glance that Giannis needed a medical procedure, it was just a minor surgery. It will keep him out of the World Cup, but he will be ready for training camp and the regular season.
It will be interesting to see how new head coach Adrian Griffin manages Giannis and players with a history of injuries on the team. Khris Middleton, though his injury history is relatively recent, also had a knee procedure this offseason.
Former head coach Mike Budenholzer frequently rested his star players, a tendency many head coaches have taken to over the years. After an outcry from fans who missed seeing the biggest stars at games, the NBA has instituted a new rule to motivate players into playing new games.
In order to qualify for regular season awards, such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Most Improved Player (all awards Giannis has won), players must play a minimum of 65 regular season games. It is worth noting that Giannis has played 65 or more games just once in the last four seasons (63, 61, 67, and 63 games respectively).
In other words, if Giannis gets rested as much this season as he has in three of the last four years, he will not be eligible for MVP.
While MVP is a nice award, Giannis’ main goal is to win another Championship. There may come a point where he may need to rest more and be disqualified from consideration for the award in order to remain healthy for the NBA Playoffs.
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