Milwaukee Bucks: Thanasis Antetokounmpo sidelined with knee injury
As they get set for the start of their playoff run, the Milwaukee Bucks will be down one bench player.
The Bucks announced Tuesday afternoon that energetic forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo will be sidelined for at least two weeks after suffering an avulsion fracture to his right patella tendon. Antetokounmpo suffered the injury late in the first half of the Bucks’ regular season finale with the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night.
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The injury is similar to what former Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe suffered during the 2019-20 season as he was sidelined with a right avulsion fracture of his right fibula. Bledsoe ended up being out of action for eight games during December.
Nevertheless, it’s certainly a disappointing development for the 28-year-old Antetokounmpo, especially on the cusp of the Bucks’ big playoff run. Even as it was unknown what kind of role, if any, Antetokounmpo would have played for the Bucks going into the postseason.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo has given the Milwaukee Bucks plenty of energy and effort
All of this comes after Antetokounmpo played a bigger role than he had done over the course of his first season in Milwaukee last year. The elder Antetokounmpo averaged 2.9 points on .489/.241/.510 shooting splits, 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists over 9.7 minutes per game and 57 appearances, including three starts.
While the Greek forward has clear skill limitations, it was his endless hustle, energy and toughness that shone bright over his 551 total minutes throughout the regular season. And it’s safe to say that Antetokounmpo had carved out his role of being the Bucks’ energy booster, all of which was evident from his bench antics last year as well.
Standing as the Bucks’ heart and soul was exactly what the Bucks needed to get through such a grueling 2020-21 season that tested all players, much less Milwaukee, physically and mentally over a condensed schedule.
Since the arrival of P.J. Tucker, Antetokounmpo’s role clearly changed within the Bucks’ rotation and his minutes came fewer and far between. That excludes the nights where the Bucks were without key rotation players, whether due to rest or injury.
Still, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see Antetokounmpo earn some very brief minutes to give the Bucks an energy lift and Budenholzer has been prone to using him in end-of-quarter situations to pressure inbounds passes. Now there’s a big question of whether we will see Antetokounmpo in uniform, which depends on how far the Bucks go into the playoffs this year.
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Considering he’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, one has to wonder if we’ve seen the last of Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee. Time will tell on that front, but hopefully Antetokounmpo can give the same energy we’ve come to expect on the sidelines when the Bucks’ playoff run starts against the Miami Heat this weekend.