Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out for the remainder of Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons after suffering a right calf strain and heading back to the locker room.
Doc Rivers said after the game that Antetokounmpo was undergoing an MRI on Wednesday night, but an Achilles injury was likely ruled out.
Antetokounmpo, 30, missed time in November with a left groin strain.
“I don’t know what grade it is, but I know it’s not a bad one, so that’s good news for us,” head coach Doc Rivers told reporters at the time. “But yet still, probably two weeks he’ll be out. And we’ll see. Hopefully less, but most likely in that area.”
Wednesday’s injury comes on the same day that ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the superstar big man “and his agent, Alex Saratsis, are having conversations with the Bucks about the two-time NBA MVP’s future—and discussing whether his best fit is staying or a move elsewhere.”
When healthy Antetokounmpo has been excellent, averaging 30.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. He’s remained the shining light for a Bucks team that is just 9-13 on the year.
The Greek Freak has generally been durable in his career, playing at least 60 games in every NBA campaign since being a first-round pick at the 2013 NBA draft and at least 70 games in seven seasons.
Antetokounmpo is a singular talent and there’s no real replacing him in Milwaukee, though Bobby Portis is one of the better big men off the bench in the NBA and he’ll likely absorb a lot of those minutes. Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma will be asked to carry a bigger load of the offense as well.
But the Bucks don’t have a ton of great options offensively beyond that other than breakout guard Ryan Rollins. The team’s reserves will have to dig deep to keep the Bucks afloat if Giannis is forced to miss significant time, and his injury is certainly a fascinating subplot to the lingering trade rumors surrounding him.