If Giannis Antetokounmpo remains out for the full two weeks in his 1-2 week diagnosis, the Milwaukee Bucks will have to scratch and claw as best they can in a roughly seven-game stretch during his absence. Can he come back before then? Could it take longer? Giannis has a history of returning ahead of schedule, but, Doc Rivers says, strains like the one he suffered versus Cleveland (left groin) are a tricky class of injury.
Even for a superhuman like Giannis, strains aren’t something to take lightly
Knowing that Antetokounmpo will do everything he can to get back on the court, Rivers is wary of letting Giannis push himself too hard during rehab.
“Yeah, obviously, you gotta be careful with that because we want him back,” Rivers said via The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. “Strains are interesting. You can’t take time off and you can’t work too hard, either. Back in the old days, you had a strain, they told you to rest. We’ve learned that’s actually the worst thing you can do with a strain. But then you can’t overwork it either. So there’s a fine line that the guys upstairs know exactly what they’re doing and I’m pretty confident we’ll get it right.”
Feb 12, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers draws up a play with forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
However the team doctors approach it, the Bucks don’t want aggravating the injury, of course, but they also need him back as soon as safely possible. 8-7 overall, 11th in the East, thus far this season they are 1-1 without Giannis, excluding Monday’s loss in which he played only 13 minutes.
The game they won, against Golden State, Ryan Rollins stepped up to the plate with a career-high 32 points. As Antetokounmpo eases his way back, Milwaukee will need Rollins to rise even higher than he already has en route to averaging 17.4 points per game.
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