Giannis Antetokounmpo’s calf injury: How serious is it? Will he be back on time for the playoffs?

The Milwaukee Bucks are sweating over the fitness of star man Giannis Antetokounmpo for the NBA playoffs after the 29-year-old left the game against the Boston Celtics late in the third quarter because of a calf injury.

When do the 2023/24 NBA playoffs start?

The Bucks ran out 104-91 winners at Fiserv Forum, a result which leaves them in second spot in the Eastern Conference behinds the Celtics. They have already qualified for the playoffs, although their seed has yet to be decided.

The victory, however, was overshadowed somewhat by the injury to power forward Antetokounmpo, with the end-of-season action starting on Saturday 20 April, although Milwaukee’s first game could equally be scheduled for the following day.

What happened to Giannis against the Celtics?

The eight-time NBA all-star slumped to the ground unchallenged as he was preparing to move upfield immediately after a Derrick White three-pointer for Boston. He immediately clutched his calf and was helped off court after a brief discussion with the Bucks’ medical team.

After the game, head coach Doc Rivers said Antetokounmpo would have an MRI scan to determine the extent of the injury, which has been described as a “strained soleus,” but didn’t sound especially confident that good news would be on its way.

“The concern level is high, I would say that. He’s Giannis. I think everyone probably feels the same way as I do right now. So, we’re just gonna hope for the best.”

How long will Giannis Antetokounmpo be out for?

Although it’s too early to know exactly how long Antetokounmpo will be sidelined for, we can look to his Bucks teammate Damian Lillard for guidance. As pointed out by CBS, Lillard also suffered a strained soleus muscle in the 2022/23 season, an injury which kept him out for two weeks.

If that also proves to be the case for Antetokounmpo, he would miss the first game of the first-round series and would face a serious race against time to be ready to play in the second. The third game may be a more realistic target, although whether he would be 100% would be another matter.

The Bucks have made it to the playoffs for an eighth successive season and are chasing their third NBA championship after previously winning in 1971 and, most recently, in 2021.