Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a calf injury in early December and has since missed four straight games. With no designated return in sight, Antetokounmpo reveals some bad news to the franchise and the fanbase.
Reports indicate that the 31-year-old forward claims that the calf injury he is dealing with is the same injury he sustained that ruined the Bucks' 2023-24 campaign, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Antetokounmpo seems to believe he could return in four to six weeks.
“Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke with reporters today for the first time since he suffered a right calf strain on Dec. 3. He said the calf strain is actually a soleus strain, the same injury that ended his 2023-24 season, and the timeline he was thinking to return was 4-6 weeks.”
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Last time the two-time MVP suffered this calf injury came in the final stretch of the 2023-24 season. After playing 73 games that year, Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the rest of the regular season and the playoffs, derailing Milwaukee's hopes of competing for a championship.
This time around, though, the injury occurred early enough in the season for Antetokounmpo to bounce back. But Milwaukee will be without its star power forward for quite some time. He's already missed 10 games this season. In the contests he's played, Antetokounmpo is averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 63.9% from the field and 43.5% from beyond the three-point line (career-high).
With Giannis Antetokounmpo out for several weeks, the Bucks are likely to rely on Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis in the power forward position. We'll see Milwaukee in action on Thursday night when the club takes on the Toronto Raptors.