Gathering what we know about injury Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered against Celtics

Everything was going very well for the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night as they were throttling the Boston Celtics at home.

However, late in the third quarter, things took a turn for the worse when Giannis Antetokounmpo went down onto the court grabbing his calf. Given that it was an abrupt non-contact injury, everyone in the arena held their breaths. He was able to get up and make his way to the locker room, but he was not his usual self, clearly.

Now, rather than on a much-needed win against the Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks faithful will be laser-focused on Antetokounmpo's injury as they await further news.

Gathering what we know about injury Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered against Celtics

It was later announced that Antetokounmpo had suffered a soleus strain and that he would undergo an MRI to determine further details and the next steps to take.

According to Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes, the average time sidelined for soleus injuries since the 2005-06 NBA season is 17 days. As noted by Stotts, Damian Lillard suffered this injury when he was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, which forced him to miss 15 days and seven games.

When asked about his experience dealing with this injury, Lillard said, "That s*** hurt," but detailed how he was able to get through it in just about two weeks. No two injuries are the exact same, but it at least provides a glimmer of hope that Antetokounmpo could be back on the court sometime soon.

UPDATE: The Athletic's Shams Charania has reported that Antetokounmpo avoided damage to his left Achilles tendon, which is the best case outcome. The Greek Freak's return will simply be based on how well treatment goes on his injured calf. This is tremendous news.

The Bucks have three games left in the regular season. It would not be surprising if Giannis missed all three of those as the Greek Freak rehabs. The regular season officially concludes on April 14, which will be followed by the Play-In Tournament between April 16-19. The NBA Playoffs officially start on April 20, putting Antetokounmpo's status up in the air.

Throughout his career, Antetokounmpo has been a quick healer, and all fans can do is hope that he keeps that up in the present. In 2021, he suffered what appeared to be a horrific knee injury but was back in time to be back on the floor for the start of the NBA Finals. Antetokounmpo will be doing what it takes to be back as soon as possible, but the process should not be rushed whatsoever.

Calf injuries are always tricky and not something to be messed with. This injury adds another element to what has been an incredibly turbulent season for Milwaukee. Until Antetokounmpo returns, the rest of the team will have to step up to help Milwaukee hold firm on the second seed in the East.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.