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Milwaukee Bucks should rest Giannis Antetokounmpo

By Brian Sampson

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 11: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots a free throw against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on February 11, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bucks defeated the Bulls 112-99. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 11: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots a free throw against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on February 11, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bucks defeated the Bulls 112-99. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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The Milwaukee Bucks are flirting with danger when it comes to Giannis Antetokounmpo and his sore ankle.

Milwaukee Bucks’ head coach Mike Budenholzer has done a wonderful job of resting his players at the right time this season AND racking up enough wins to put them at the top of the Eastern Conference. With just six regular season games remaining, Milwaukee’s magic number (combined Bucks’ wins and Toronto Raptors’ losses) to clinch the East is down to two. That’s impressive.

Coming into the season, nobody expected the Bucks to be where they are now with a 57-19 record. It’s been a best-case scenario for Budenholzer and his team. Most importantly, he’s been able to do it while resting his players throughout the season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon have all seen their minutes dip from last season. Antetokounmpo averages the most minutes per game at 32.9 followed by Middleton at 31.5. Every other Bucks’ player sits below 30 minutes.

This is incredibly impressive considering the barrage of injuries they’ve suffered since the All-Star break. Once the healthiest team in the NBA, Milwaukee has had a streak of bad luck that has seen three of it’s top eight players go down with injuries. First, it was Brogdon and then Nikola Mirotic and Tony Snell quickly followed. Their timeframes for return are all different, but if everything goes as planned the Bucks should be fully healthy by the second round of the playoffs.

That’s still a ways away and will present different challenges in and of itself. For now, their main focus should turn to Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo had a nice bout of rest following the All-Star break where he sat several games. That’s been the theme throughout the season with Budenholzer, as he’s perfectly balanced resting his players with racking up victories. However, Antetokounmpo has now tweaked his ankle three times in a couple week span including Thursday night’s victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Antetokounmpo didn’t return to the game after stepping on the foot of a Clippers’ player midway through the fourth quarter. However, he did go to the scorer’s table to check in when the lead got down to 10, but the Bucks were able to handle it without Antetokounmpo ever going back into the game.

Milwaukee plays back to back road games against the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets beginning on Sunday before finishing their road schedule against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, April 6. That’s a perfect opportunity for Budenholzer to rest Antetokounmpo and allow him some time to get his ankle right. It would be a week in between games if the Greek Freak sits out until the 76ers game. And even then, Budenholzer can be selective if he wants to play his MVP candidate or not.

dark. Next. 3 x-factors with Brogdon out

Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks are a surefire exit in the second round of the playoffs. The Bucks know this. Antetokounmpo knows this. Budenholzer knows this. I fully expect Milwaukee’s head coach to continue to put his player’s health first and do the smart thing when it comes to getting his team fully healthy for a long playoff run.

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