Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo left Monday night’s game against the Cavaliers early with a groin injury and is expected to miss two weeks, placing his team in a very tough situation.
The Bucks have been solid this season by surrounding Giannis with complementary pieces, but it’s difficult for them to succeed without him. Giannis’s dominance as an offensive centerpiece has carried the team so far, but now, other players will have to step up in his absence.
Can the Buck find ways to win without Giannis? It will be tough
It’s no secret that every Bucks decision this season revolves around Giannis. He's a franchise legend and one of the best players in the entire league. While it’s expected that the Bucks will be better with him on the court, their quality of play in his absence has been alarming.
With Giannis on the court, the Bucks have a 123.5 offensive rating - that would edge the Rockets for first in the NBA. Without him, that number plummets to 102.1, which would be the worst in the league by far. The offense lacks other reliable creators who can consistently create good looks for themselves and their teammates.
Hopefully the Bucks can get some good offensive contributions from their secondary stars in Giannis’ absence. In their lone win without him this season, the young Ryan Rollins stepped up for a career-high 32 points to take down the Warriors. He will need to continue playing an aggressive role with Giannis out for an extended period.
The Bucks were able to muster 120 points in that win over the Warriors without Giannis due to Rollins’ explosion and a well-functioning offense. It was a completely different story in their recent loss to the Hornets without Giannis, when they only scored 100 points. Hopefully the team can settle into a groove somewhere in the middle in the coming weeks.
Giannis is just one of many stars currently experiencing injuries across the NBA. As the fast pace and elite athleticism of today’s game catch up to players logging big minutes, it’ll be more important than ever for role players to step up and provide valuable depth. Many other teams are finding unexpected contributions from their typical bench players, and it’s giving them an unexpected advantage for the remainder of this long season.
Based on the statistics, the Bucks could be in trouble with Giannis missing multiple games. But there is a silver lining to the current offensive ratings: Giannis plays 32 minutes per game, so many of the lineups in the other 16 minutes every game are bench-heavy lineups. When he’s missing from the rotation entirely, they’ll be able to disperse their other starters among the bench units more strategically and fare better than the metrics indicate.