Giannis Antetokounmpo Will Miss At Least Two Weeks With A Strained Groin

The Milwaukee Bucks got some scary news on Monday night when their franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo limped off the court in Cleveland with a left groin strain. 

The injury happened late in the second quarter during what seemed like a routine play. Antetokounmpo was battling Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen in the post, missing a layup, and immediately grabbed his groin area. While he attempted to play through it for the next series of possessions, the “Greek Freak” eventually made his way to the locker room and did not return for the remainder of the game. The Bucks would go on to lose their second straight game and third in their last four, 118–106, falling to 8–7 on the season. 

Averaging 31.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists through his first thirteen games, Antetokounmpo is arguably playing his best basketball of his career at the age of 31, with numbers similar to those that saw him win back-to-back MVP awards from 2018–2020. Second in usage rate (among those who have played double-digit games), at 35.4%, the loss of their All-NBA forward for any significant amount of time will likely have a serious impact on the Bucks as they attempt to climb the Eastern Conference standings. 

Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks’ already thin roster gets even thinner. Currently, without Kevin Porter Jr. (meniscus, knee) and Taurean Prince (herniated disc, neck), more pressure will be put on guys like Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis, and Ryan Rollins. 

Upon receiving the results from Tuesday’s MRI, the Bucks were informed that they will be facing an uphill battle for the rest of the month as Antetokounmpo is reported to be sidelined for up to two weeks. While this is better than the predicted 4–8 weeks that groin strains may need to recover, the Bucks will have to figure out how to navigate games against the 76ers, Pistons, Heat, and Knicks without their leader.