The Milwaukee Bucks stumbled out of the gate this season, and things have only gotten tougher since Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a right calf strain. With trade rumors surrounding their franchise star resurfacing, panic has been steadily bubbling in Milwaukee.
However, recent reports indicate that Antetokounmpo remains committed to battling through adversity, and now center Myles Turner is pushing back on the rising panic narrative, offering a more optimistic perspective on the team’s struggles.
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Myles Turner Dismisses Panic Despite Recent Struggles
Antetokounmpo suffered a right calf strain during the Bucks’ Dec. 3 win over the Detroit Pistons, and he’s expected to miss the remainder of the month. Milwaukee has dropped both games since his injury, including Saturday’s rematch with Detroit, raising understandable concerns about how the team will hold up without its superstar.
After the loss, forward Kyle Kuzma described this stretch as “sink or swim,” and Turner echoed that urgency while pushing back on the rising panic.
“We are only 5 1/2 games away from the third seed, so I don’t think it’s time to panic personally; I think it’s time to be aware,” Turner said. “I think being aware and panicking are two very different things. Just aware that we’re not where we want to be, but we’re also not far away.
“With the group we have right now, I think that we’re very capable of making an extra push. But we can talk about it all we want to; it’s a matter of going out there and getting it done.”
Head coach Doc Rivers echoed the same sentiment after the loss to Detroit, adding, “We’re not going to panic here.”
It’s a level-headed perspective, and with plenty of season left, Milwaukee certainly has time to climb back up the Eastern Conference standings. But as Turner indicated, doing so without Antetokounmpo is far from easy.
Before his injury, the two-time MVP was averaging 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and shooting a scorching 63.9% from the field and 43.5% from deep. And despite renewed trade speculation, ESPN’s Chris Haynes reported Tuesday that Antetokounmpo has urged his teammates to stay locked in.
“I was told that his point was that he’s here at the time being, wanting to get better, wanting to make sure he gets his game back on point, make sure he gets back from his injury. But he understood, and he relayed the message that he can’t control what goes on or what even happens to him,” Haynes added.
Milwaukee now enters a tough stretch, as six of its next eight games are on the road, with three of the following four against top-six teams in their respective conferences. Turner, averaging 12.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 0.9 steals, will need to set the tone as the Bucks fight to stay afloat until Antetokounmpo returns.