Giannis Antetokounmpo is the sun around which the Bucks’ universe spins. This offseason, familiar faces, Damian Lillard, Middleton, Lopez, Connaughton drifted away, leaving holes in the orbit. Milwaukee scrambled, signing Myles Turner, Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Harris, Cole Anthony, and Amir Coffey, all handpicked to make Giannis’ chase for another championship as smooth as possible, a sequel to his 2021 triumph. But even the brightest sun casts shadows. No matter how many stars you line up around him, there’s one force the Bucks can’t control: injuries.

Per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, the Bucks’ superstar “started grabbing at his groin as soon as he went down on that last attempt at the rim. He hobbled down the floor, committed a quick foul and immediately walked off the floor and into the locker room.” Near the end of the second quarter, Giannis Antetokounmpo limped off after a missed layup, fouling Cavaliers’ Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley as he made his way to the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse locker room.

Halftime in Milwaukee delivered more than just a two-point deficit. Giannis had started the night listed as probable and still managed to put in 13 minutes of work, racking up 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, and a steal. But as the Cavs held a 59–57 lead, Bucks fans got the dreaded update: “Status alert: Giannis Antetokounmpo (groin) won’t return Monday.”

With the superstar sidelined, the Bucks will need other players to step up. Bobby Portis, Amir Coffey, and Gary Trent are now in line for expanded minutes, tasked with keeping the ship steady while Giannis recovers from the untimely groin tweak.

Antetokounmpo already entered the game listed as probable, though his left-knee patellar tendinopathy has been a nagging issue since October. Despite missing a couple of games earlier this season, the Bucks’ superstar is still posting MVP-level numbers, averaging 32.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per outing.

In his last showdown against the Cavaliers, Giannis dropped 40 points on 14-of-20 shooting, though Milwaukee came up short. The Bucks are leaning hard on him, with nine 30-plus point games in just 12 appearances so far, proving just how much this team depends on their Greek Freak.

In their most recent matchup against the Lakers, Giannis carried the load again, finishing with 32 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 13-of-18 from the free-throw line, 10 rebounds, and five assists. His dominance is undeniable, but the Bucks’ supporting cast has been hit-or-miss.

Kyle Kuzma has shown flashes, lighting up for 29 points in a Charlotte Hornets overtime win, only to sputter in other contests, while Myles Turner has struggled offensively. Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s defense is lurking in the bottom half of the league, leaving the team vulnerable when their star is sidelined.

With Giannis banged up, the Bucks have no choice but to shuffle their rotation and hope the rest of the roster steps up. Every missed jumper or sloppy defensive rotation is a gift to the Cavaliers, who will certainly look to exploit Milwaukee’s weakened supporting cast.

Can the Cavaliers’ early struggles hide their true title contender potential?

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been quietly putting together a solid start to the 2025-26 season, even while juggling injuries to key pieces. Led by Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, the Cavs sit at 9-5, good enough for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. ESPN analysts Zach Kram and Kevin Pelton even labeled Cleveland a “legit title contender,” noting that as long as Darius Garland gets healthy, the Cavs could challenge New York for East supremacy. 

Mitchell himself keeps a grounded perspective: “I think we’ve got to let last year go. This is a whole different season. Everybody around us got better…There’s guys who are hurt. Guys in. Guys out. So many different things. It is natural. Things change. So how do we — as this group — find a way to find our identity?” Consistency has been tricky, though.

Against the struggling Memphis Grizzlies, the Cavs spent the first three quarters wandering in a haze, leading just twice in the opening 36 minutes for a total of 128 seconds. But come fourth quarter, Cleveland flipped the switch.  Mitchell went on an 18-point tear, Mobley attacked the rim aggressively, and the defense suddenly tightened, limiting Memphis to 16 points on 5-of-17 shooting while forcing seven turnovers. 

The Cavs’ early-season struggles aren’t unusual given lineup shuffles and injuries to Garland and Max Strus, which forced the team to experiment with eight different starting lineups. Coach Kenny Atkinson admits this is all part of a bigger picture: “It takes time. It’s 14 games in. I wish we were a little bit ahead of that, but we’re not…We’ve just got to keep building.” 

And while the focus isn’t strictly on immediate results, the franchise is keeping its eyes on the bigger prize. Tonight, with Giannis Antetokounmpo out, Cleveland took advantage, cruising to a 118-106 win and proving that even with growing pains, this team is one to watch.