A tough season just got even tougher for the Milwaukee Bucks following Giannis Antetokounmpo’s latest injury update. En route to a 134-123 win over the Pacers on Sunday, the two-time MVP tweaked his knee, hobbling to the locker room in the third quarter. Today, we learned that he’ll need at least one week to recover from what the doctors are calling a hyperextension and bone bruise in his left knee.
“Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo has been diagnosed with a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise and will be re-evaluated in one week,” wrote Shams Charania on X.
This injury wasn’t anything preventable. It was just a fluke moment after a dunk, where Giannis landed awkwardly on his leg. It looked scary in real-time, and many fans feared that it was something more serious or potentially season-ending. While those outcomes have proven to be false, the Bucks will still have to go without their star in a season where they have already fallen so far behind.
At 28-39 (11th in the East), the Bucks are still 5.5 games back from even making the 10th seed. At this point, any extended losing streak will effectively end their season, pushing them into an offseason of major uncertainty. The only way to postpone that period and show some life down the stretch is for Giannis to return and lead them on a run.
With averages of 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game on 62.4% shooting and 33.3% shooting from three this season, Antetokounmpo was the only saving grace for the Bucks. Without him, it’s going to be nearly impossible to make up enough ground and squeak into that final play-in spot.
After facing the Cavaliers tonight, the Bucks move on to play the Jazz and Suns before facing the Clippers. That means we could see Giannis as soon as next Wednesday, against the Phoenix Suns. As the Greek Freak works his way back to full strength, the Bucks’ only hope to stay afloat rests on the shoulders of Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma, who are among their most impactful players right now.
If they can somehow close the gap on Charlotte over the next week, it could go a long way toward salvaging what’s left of this season and establishing some trust with Giannis. At the very least, it could make him think twice about forcing his way out this summer, when several teams are expected to pursue the former NBA champion.
