Giannis Antetokounmpo exited Wednesday night's win over the Detroit Pistons after just three minutes, with the worst being feared for the Milwaukee Bucks star. Thankfully, Shams Charania has confirmed he is expected to be out 2-4 weeks with a right calf strain and nothing more.
Best-case scenario for Giannis
The moment Giannis hit the deck, it felt like everything was going wrong for the Milwaukee Bucks. Sports doctor Brian Sutterer's initial diagnosis just from viewing the incident was that it wouldn't be anything as serious as an Achilles injury, and the two-time MVP has gotten the best-case scenario with the diagnosis.
It was arguably the best Bucks performance of the season, fighting back to win 113-109 against their high-flying divisional rivals. Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins led the way for the team, but there were great contributions from everyone on the roster. Now with their superstar out, everyone will have to step up to help fill that void.
Bucks fans have seen this before, with Giannis going down at the end of the 2024 season and missing the playoffs. There is still a long way to go in this current NBA season, but the Bucks' seven-game losing streak has given them an uphill battle to get into the playoffs.
Wednesday was an all-around difficult and emotional day. Early reports around Giannis' future were squashed by Doc Rivers, but that didn't prevent there being plenty of noise heading into the Pistons game. Then, for the team to fight and win a brilliant game against the East's top seed re-ignited belief and hope within the fanbase.
Looking ahead, the Bucks' next two games are against the Philadelphia 76ers and a battle with the Pistons once again. It won't be easy without Giannis, but looking towards late December, the schedule does look kind to the Bucks. Brooklyn, Indiana, Charlotte twice, and Washington are all coming up in the next month and are all very winnable games for the team.
Rivers found it tough to find a winning formula and even a starting lineup when Giannis missed time earlier this season. We saw Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis, and Jericho Sims all start at some point, but found it difficult. Pressure is on the Bucks' head coach to scheme up so this team can remain competitive for when Giannis returns.
Whenever Giannis misses time, the Bucks are always going to find it tough. There are some difficult games on the schedule where we will see what the supporting cast is capable of, with a few potential friendlier matchups towards the later end of Giannis' return timeline.