There is finally an update on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s injury status. After leaving Monday night’s 118-106 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers late in the second quarter due to a left groin strain, it was revealed this afternoon that he will only be out 1-2 weeks, with the injury being classed as low-grade. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the news at 4:14 p.m. Central time, but it was head coach Doc Rivers who initially revealed he would be out for two weeks while on an appearance on the [podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/courtside-with-gale-klappa-doc-rivers-joins-to-talk/id1731917508?i=1000737308130) Courtside with Gale Klappa, which was published about two hours earlier.
Giannis was off to a tremendous start in the 2025 season as the lone All-Star on this iteration of the Bucks. In the 13 games this season, the two-time MVP looked primed to add a third trophy to his cabinet, averaging 31.2 PPG (4th in the NBA), 10.8 RPG (7th), 6.8 APG (15th), and shot 62.9% from the field (8th), leading all Bucks players in those categories.
While it could’ve been a lot worse for the Bucks, losing a player like Giannis for any extended period of time is never a good thing. That is especially true considering the numbers the Bucks have put up when he’s been on and off the floor. According to Justin Garcia, the Bucks’ offense increases by 21 points per 100 possessions when Giannis is on the floor. The highest mark before this season was 9.2, essentially saying that the Bucks have played at a 58-win pace with him on the floor and a 14-win pace with him off.
We’ll have to wait until Wednesday to see who Doc Rivers decides to place in the starting lineup for Giannis, with Kyle Kuzma presumably moving down to the four in the front court next to Myles Turner. If I had to make an educated guess, I would expect Gary Trent Jr. to get the nod, considering that Milwaukee is also down Taurean Prince as well, who would’ve slotted in at the small forward position.
As for when we could expect Giannis to return, on the optimistic side, if it’s only a week, he would be ready for either next Wednesday against the Miami Heat or Friday the 28th against the New York Knicks in the final NBA Cup group-play game. That would only cause him to miss 3-4 games this season. Yet, based on what Rivers has said and the assumption that the Bucks will be more cautious about bringing Giannis back, two weeks would bring him back for Wednesday, December 3, against the Detroit Pistons, or Friday, December 5, against the Philadelphia 76ers. That would be 7-8 games missed in total for Giannis. It’s a tough stretch, and the Bucks are going to need their other role players to step up and for Turner to level up his game in the coming weeks.
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