Bucks: Watch Out NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo is “Fully Healthy” Again

Milwaukee Bucks’ head coach Mike Budenholzer reported Giannis Antetokounmpo is “fully healthy” again, and that’s bad news for the rest of the NBA.

One of the most dominating players ever, Milwaukee Bucks‘ Giannis Antetokounmpo appears poised to win his second straight MVP award no matter what happens with the rest of the NBA’s season. It’s likely he’ll add Defensive Player of the Year to his trophy case as well.

That might not be the case had the season progressed as planned back in March.

Shortly before the season was suspended, Antetokounmpo suffered a minor joint capsule sprain in his left knee during a loss against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6. He did finish the contest, but sat out the Bucks’ next two games as well–also both losses.

With a 6.5 game lead over the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals, Milwaukee would’ve been in no hurry to rush Antetokounmpo back to the court; no matter the pressure their MVP put on their franchise. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has been meticulous when it comes to his player’s minutes, playing them fewer than anybody else in the NBA. That’s especially true for Antetokounmpo.

Up until March, Antetokounmpo had played more competitive basketball than, perhaps, at any point in his life. Last season, the Bucks went deep into the playoffs for the first time in nearly 20 years, meaning Antetokounmpo played until late May.

Two months later, he returned to action for Greece’s National team. Following a couple of tune-up games, Antetokounmpo played in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup from Aug. 31 to Sep. 15. A few weeks later he was due back to the Bucks’ for the beginning of training camp.

This constant grind put a lot of stress on Antetokounmpo’s body and it was only a matter of time until he needed some much-deserved rest. It appears the COVID-19 layoff provided him with some.

In an interview with ESPN, Budenholzer said, “It’s a huge advantage for us that Giannis will be completely and totally healthy. He’s in a great place, both mentally and physically.” He also added,  “Who’s to say how things would have gone if we kept on playing? I’m not sure it would be safe to say [Giannis] would have missed a couple of weeks. Could it have been less? Maybe. Could it have been more? Perhaps. We can look back a bit and say, ‘Wow, I wonder what would have happened there. But the great thing is he’s healthy now. Giannis is so tough, and he heals so quickly, and he would have felt pressure to come back sooner. [The pressure] wouldn’t have come from us — it’s all self-induced with Giannis. One of our hardest jobs would have been to hold him back.”

That’s great news for the Bucks, and not so good for the rest of the NBA. With the league still planning to return to action at the end of July, Antetokounmpo has had plenty of time to rest and work on his game during the hiatus. He seems to add a new skill every offseason so it will be interesting to see if he approached this layoff in the same way.

He was already having the best season of his career, including last year when he won MVP. If he’s back to his healthy self, that spells domination for the Bucks.