Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will not be on the court when the Milwaukee Bucks open the NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers this coming weekend.
The Greek Freak is sidelined to a calf injury. While he would like to make it back later in the series, it remains an open question when the star forward will return to the court.
The backdrop here is a Bucks squad that disappointed to an extent after acquiring star guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Milwaukee finished the regular season with a 49-33 record and as the third seed in the Eastern Conference. It went just 17-19 after Doc Rivers replaced Adrian Griffin on the bench.
Even after signing a three-year, $175.9 million contract extension this past October, Giannis’ long-term future in Milwaukee continues to be a talking about. We’re now hearing more on this leading up to the start of the NBA Playoffs.
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NBA insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN noted earlier on Tuesday that he’s not sure where Giannis will play next season if the Bucks are eliminated early in the NBA Playoffs once again.
Milwaukee found itself as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season. It then went on to lose to the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. This disappointing end to the season forced Milwaukee’s brass to fire head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Front office head Jon Horst then acquired the aforementioned Lillard from Portland to provide Giannis more help. Despite this, the team seems to be at least one tier below the Boston Celtics back east.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo stats (2023-24): 30.4 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 61% field goal
At 29 years old, Giannis is still in the prime of his career and playing at an MVP level. Unfortunately, his Bucks just have not morphed into NBA title contenders since hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy back in June of 2021. It’ll be interesting to see what happens should playoff failure be the name of the game this year, too.