The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the biggest early threats in the wide-open Eastern Conference to start the 2025-2026 NBA season.
The MVP-caliber play by Giannis Antetokounmpo has a lot to do with that. On Thursday night, Giannis was gearing up for another opportunity to build on his strong performance this year, but he was suddenly ruled out and considered a late scratch against the Golden State Warriors.
While the setback itself isn’t shocking, since Antetokounmpo has been on the injury report, the fact that he wasn’t cleared to play after being listed as probable is.
The Impact of Giannis’ Absence
If Antetokounmpo is out for just a game or two, then it won’t make or break Milwaukee, especially this early on.
However, if the setback proves to be more severe—taking Antetokounmpo off the court for a long stretch, or even nagging him throughout the year—then the Bucks could be in a tough spot.
It’s no secret how important Antetokounmpo is to the Bucks’ organization. There’s a reason why he’s been top three in MVP voting in three of the past four seasons and won the award twice throughout his career. He’s been, and remains extremely valuable to everything they do.
In four games this season, Antetokounmpo has averaged 36.3 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists for the Bucks. They have just one loss on their record, and it came against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bucks fell to last season’s top-seeded team in the East with a five-point loss.
Milwaukee is coming off an impressive win against the New York Knicks. Antetokounmpo scored 37 points on 72 percent shooting from the field. He also had eight rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and two blocks in the 121-111 victory. They have another tough test against the Warriors on Thursday, and it will be their first test without Antetokounmpo in the mix.
All-time, the Bucks are 51-55 without Antetokounmpo on the floor. Last season, he missed just a handful of games, but the Bucks managed to win eight out of 15. History says that the Bucks can survive short periods without Antetokounmpo. They’ll hope they won’t have to play without him for too long, as they certainly don’t want to miss their chance of staying high in the early Eastern Conference ranks.
Want to read more about the daily ripple effects of the NBA? Make sure you bookmark Fastbreak on SI for the top hoops stories of the day from a league-wide scope.
The Latest on Fastbreak on SI
