After missing five weeks of action, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo made his return to the floor on Monday night against the Boston Celtics. Although Bucks fans will be disappointed with the 108-81 result, having Antetokounmpo back in the rotation is promising.
During his post-game media availability, Giannis Antetokounmpo appeared cognizant of how much his recurring injuries had affected the team’s performance this season. While addressing this aspect, the Bucks superstar acknowledged that he needed to improve his approach toward injury management.
“I’m just stubborn,” Antetokounmpo stated. “I have a lot of smart people around me who tell me the truth and tell me what to do, but at the end of the day, I’ve been in this position in life by fighting through things and listening to my gut… Sometimes that’s smart, sometimes that’s not smart.”
While noting how this has had varying effects on his career, he continued:
“Things that I can do in the past, maybe I can’t do no more. I’ve just gotta be smarter. I’m not old, but I’m older for sure… When you deal with a lot of soft tissue injuries, it’s hard. If you can’t deal with your soft-tissue injuries, they can linger, and that’s what’s been happening this year and a half. I feel like I’ve been playing the whole year with a deficit.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo added that the emphasis when recovering from soft-tissue injuries is on nutrition, weights, and an appropriate workload. While he admitted that he hadn’t done his due diligence on this earlier in the year, he confidently stated that he felt healthier and better after the game against the Celtics.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo back in the rotation, the Milwaukee Bucks are likely to be a more competitive team. But considering their 26-34 record (11th in the East), carving a path to the postseason may prove to be a challenge.
Has Giannis Antetokounmpo Come Back Too Late?
The Milwaukee Bucks were expected to field a severely weaker lineup heading into this campaign, placing the onus of carrying the team entirely on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s shoulders. While the Bucks’ superstar has proven himself capable of performing such heroic feats, his inconsistent availability has been a factor in Milwaukee’s poor display.
In the 30 games Giannis Antetokounmpo has appeared in this season, the Bucks notched a 15-15 record, with the forward averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. If this record remained consistent, at best, Milwaukee would be a play-in team in the East.
Still, having him back now does improve the Bucks’ chances. Given that they are only 2.5 games behind the Charlotte Hornets in tenth, Milwaukee could still climb its way into the play-in tournament.
For all intents and purposes, being a play-in team can be viewed as an accomplishment for the Bucks. But when considering Giannis Antetokounmpo’s intention to compete for a title, along with the trade rumors involving him, failing to secure a playoff spot may affect their chances of retaining him this offseason.
