Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has not played since Jan. 23 after suffering an injury against the Denver Nuggets.
Antetokounmpo sustained a right calf strain. He appeared to pick up the injury in the first quarter of the game and even went to the locker room as a result. However, he returned and played through the pain before Bucks head coach Doc Rivers pulled him out for good.
After the contest, the Greek Freak shared a self-diagnosis, expressing his belief that an MRI would confirm a calf injury and that he would be sidelined for four to six weeks. Antetokounmpo knows very well what he felt since he missed three weeks of NBA action earlier in the season due to a calf problem.
"After the MRI, they will tell me probably I popped something in my calf, or in my soleus or something, probably give me a protocol of four to six weeks I'll be out," Antetokounmpo said at the time, per SportsNet.
"This is from my experience being around the NBA. After that, I'm going to work my butt off to come back. That will probably be end of February, beginning of March."
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Now, it has been a little over a month since Antetokounmpo suffered the injury. Obviously, he's closing in on the six-week mark that he predicted was the maximum number of weeks he would be sidelined.
By the looks of it, Antetokounmpo is on track to get back to action by the first week of March. There is still no clear timetable for his return, but Rivers did say that the two-time MVP is "close" to getting to full health.
"I know he's close," Rivers said, according to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I don't think he's close like, tomorrow. But he's getting closer. He looked great, you know? That's all I know. I can tell you what my eyes see, and he looks good."
Antetokounmpo has already missed 13 straight games, but the Bucks have found a way to win even without him. They are 8-5 in that span so far, most recently beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-116.
Milwaukee remains in contention for a play-in spot. They improved to 26-31 on the season following Wednesday's victory against the Cavs, as they remain 11th in the Eastern Conference standings. The team is also just one game behind the 10th-seeded Charlotte Hornets.
Still, Antetokounmpo's return will be a massive boost and should propel them into the play-in spots. The 31-year-old forward is averaging 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists this 2025-26.