Giannis Antetokounmpo has remained largely healthy throughout this season. Not that he was an injury-riddled player to begin with. But hamstring soreness has been a pain point for the ‘Greek Freak’ for some time now. In fact, he was on the questionable list when the Bucks were preparing to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. Not one to be held back with just some pain, Antetokounmpo suited up and put up another dominant performance.

Milwaukee had been on the losing end of an abysmal defeat at the hands of the Kings. And the 8x All-Star had no intention of repeating that against Philly. Now, ‘Brew City’ is preparing to host the Phoenix Suns today and the ‘Greek Freak’ was once again on the injury report as QUESTIONABLE. Although he has been on the injury list in each of the past five games, Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the floor when it was game time.

Unfortunately for Milwaukee, the latest injury report update says that Giannis Antetokounmpo will be out for the match against Phoenix. In this case, the most probable replacements for The Greek Freak include Jae Crowder, Danilo Gallinari, and Pat Connaughton. Aside from Giannis, MarJon Beauchamp and Chris Livingston have also been ruled out from the match. But a piece of good news amidst this is that Khris Middleton is set to return today after last playing against Phoenix on February 6.

The 2023-24 season hasn’t been kind to the Milwaukee Bucks. On the surface, they are on their way to a championship run. The entire team is also working towards exactly that. But it doesn’t come without challenges and the NBA champion has no qualms admitting them.

Giannis Antetokounmpo confesses that this season has been “mentally and emotionally draining”

In an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Giannis Antetokounmpo acknowledged that this season was the hardest of his career. For one, in June 2023, the 8x All-Star had undergone surgery to clean up loose cartilage in his left knee. That had kept him from playing for Greece in the FIBA World Cup and it took him a while to feel like himself.

But more than that, the constant changes in the team itself led to a level of discomfort. “Emotionally, and mentally, it’s been draining,” he admitted. Giannis goes on to mention all the coaching changes the guys had, from Coach Budenholzer to the latest, Doc Rivers. “And then you have Dame. It’s been tough,” he concluded.

Yet, none of this changes the ultimate goal the Bucks have set for themselves – a second ring. Hopefully, Antetokounmpo’s slight injuries don’t come back and bite like the heart-stopping 2021 Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

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