When will Giannis Antetokounmpo return: Latest injury update for Bucks
By Ian Levy
Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn’t fully participate in All-Star Weekend because of a wrist injury. When will he be back for the Bucks?
Giannis Antetokounmpo was mostly a ceremonial participant at All-Star Weekend. He served as captain and his team beat Team LeBron thanks to 55 points from All-Star Game MVP Jayson Tatum. But Giannis himself only played a single possession, scoring the opening basket of the game before checking out because of a wrist injury suffered in the Bucks’ last game before the break.
Giannis has undergone more testing on his wrist and it sounds like he won’t be out of the Bucks lineup for too long.
When will Giannis Antetokounmpo be back in the Bucks’ lineup?
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a sprained ligament in his right wrist and will undergo treatment with the expectation that he'll be able to return to the lineup once the pain subsides, sources tell ESPN. He was examined in New York today.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 21, 2023
Giannis doesn’t have a hard return date but it sounds like we’re talking about just a few missed games at the most. The Bucks went into the All-Star Break on a 12-game winning streak and having won 18 of 23 games since the beginning of January. They’re now just a half-game behind the Boston Celtics for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
However, even if Giannis only misses a handful of games, he’ll be absent for some extremely important ones. The Bucks’ next five games are against the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, at the Brooklyn Nets, against the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers. That stretch of the schedule includes four playoff teams and three — the 76ers, Nets and Heat — looking to catch the Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings.
In Giannis’ absence, expect the Bucks to lean heavily on Jrue Holiday who is averaging 25.2 points and 9.1 assists per 36 minutes, on a 55.1 true shooting percentage without Giannis on the floor.
Next. Every NBA team's all-time starting lineup. dark
Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.