Sandro Mamukelashvili defined exactly what Bucks have missed without Giannis

A left calf strain has kept Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined since January 23, a span covering 13 games. Against the odds, the Milwaukee Bucks have been winning without him. In their last 10 games, they are 8-2, reviving hopes for a Play-in run. 

That doesn't mean they don't need him back, or that they haven't missed him. Before Toronto's game against the Spurs on Wednesday, forward Sandro Mamukelashvili, the only player to share jerseys with both Giannis and Victor Wembanyama, described what makes each superstar special. 

In doing so, he also pinpointed what the Bucks have lacked in Antetokounmpo's absence.

"I would say Giannis is more physical. That’s how he gets his buckets – in the paint, bully ball," his former teammate said, via Raptors beat reporter Josh Lewenberg. "Wemby is more versatile. He can shoot the hell out of the ball, use both hands, mid-range." 

The Greek Freak might have something to say about his own mid-range game, but Mamu's insight stands. That dominant physicality is something obviously absent from the court even as the Bucks have strung together recent wins.

There is no replacing Giannis as a sheer physical force 

Although Milwaukee escaped with a win over Cleveland, they nearly didn't. Appropriately, Cavaliers center Jarret Allen came a fraction of a second away from sending the game into overtime with a putback at the buzzer. Even while Jericho Sims has emerged in his own right, the void of Antetokounmpo's interior dominance is sorely felt. 

In the 118-116 victory, the Bucks were outrebounded on the offensive glass 16 to eight. What that translates to defensively: they grabbed only 28 of 45 missed Toronto shots, while Raptors glass-crashers scooped up 28 of 40 Milwaukee misses. 

Individually, Allen destroyed the Bucks in the paint, going for 27 points and 11 boards, including six offensive. It was that close to being seven and a trip to overtime. 

Of course, it's not just Giannis' rim protection or his presence on the glass. On the offensive end, Milwaukee is missing that "bully ball" element Mamukelashvili references. Their guards are capable of forcing the issue on drives to the hoop, particularly Kevin Porter Jr., but obviously, that doesn't put the same scare into opposing defenses. 

Giannis is simply a human wrecking ball. He led the league in dunks earlier this season, as well as last, before injuries caused him to miss 27 games and counting. Over 76 percent of his shot attempts in 2025-26 have come within 10 feet of the basket. Given his scoring volume, that is a Shaquille O'Neal level of interior dominion. 

Despite averaging his fewest minutes since his rookie year, 29.2 per game, Giannis has still put up 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per night. His scoring and assists numbers per 36 minutes are among the best of his career, as are his win shares per 48. When the Greek Freak is on the floor, he remains the epicenter of the Bucks' offense. Only Luka Doncic has a higher usage rate, 36.5, than Giannis' 36.2. 

Plenty of those touches come on bulldozing drives to the bucket or putback dunks. Don't let him get the ball near the rim. Bounce, bounce, sledgehammer is the frequent result. Antetokounmpo is also a crucial source of free-throw attempts for a Bucks roster that, aside from Porter, struggles getting to the line. 

To that point, while Giannis averages 9.9 attempts per game, Porter is second at 4.3. The gap is chasmic. No one else is even generating three free-throw shots per contest except Cam Thomas, who has played all of seven games. As a team, Milwaukee is 29th in average attempts and that's with Giannis for 30 games. Only Doncic, again, visits the charity-stripe trips more often.

The offensive end is only part of the equation, of course. In an ugly loss to Mamu's Raptors on Sunday, the Bucks clearly lacked the requisite assertiveness as Toronto's long, lean forwards ripped them apart. Aside from that, they have managed without him. They caught a nice break versus Cleveland, dodging Evan Mobley, James Harden, and Donovan Mitchell.  

But it's hardly the same team without him, and Mamukelashvili knows it though he played just 65 games as his teammate from 2021-22 to '22-23. Hopefully, the Greek Freak will be back soon.