The Milwaukee Bucks could get a big boost to their roster Saturday night with the anticipated return of Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
Antetokounmpo has been out since December 3 with a right calf strain and as long as pregame testing by the team’s athletic training staff goes well, he will play against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.
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Antetokounmpo fell to the ground with a non-contact injury during the Bucks’ first quarter. December 3 victory against the Detroit Pistons. After limping to the locker room, he was finally excluded due to soleus strainthe same injury that caused the premature end of his 2023-24 season.
The Bucks are 2-6 in Antetokounmpo’s absence and are 10-19 overall this season. That puts them 11th in the Eastern Conference, chasing the Bulls and Atlanta Hawks for a play-in spot, and five games behind the Orlando Magic for the eighth seed.
In 17 games, Antetokounmpo, 30, is averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists.
Antetokounmpo’s injury, coupled with his contract status, also fueled the rumor mill during his absence. After inking a three-year extension with Milwaukee in 2023, he still has a year and a half left on his current contract before he can opt out.
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After a report emerged that the former MVP was speaking to the team about his future with the franchise, Antetokounmpo denied any role in negotiations and indicated that his agent was processing them without his intervention.
While there would be a big interested market in acquiring his services, Antetokounmpo focused on his health and pushed the Bucks on the path to victory.
“I’m still locked in, locked in on my teammates. More importantly, I’m locked in on getting back healthy,” Antetokounmpo said on December 18. “And then I focused on my teammates and how can I help them from the sidelines or encourage them to be able to play and play freely?
“Because at the end of the day, it costs them too, doesn’t it? They play game after game after game. Thank God we had a very good schedule in the last few weeks, but it also costs them: the rumors, the injuries, the defeats, the victories. It’s difficult, isn’t it? As a leader, but especially as a winner, you have to be there for them first.”
