Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to finish season; Bucks have reservations

Sitting with ice packs taped around his knees and his feet in an ice bucket following the Milwaukee Bucks game on March 15 – in other words a part of his usual postgame recovery routine – Giannis Antetokounmpo had a simple message about hyperextending his left knee earlier in the game. "I try not to make it bigger than what it is," he said matter-of-factly. In a way, he was anticipating what inevitably would come with the Bucks having spun out of playoff contention and into the draft lottery picture for the first time since 2016: Another potentially serious injury shelving him for the remaining games of an already truncated season.

That is the new tension now between the 31-year-old superstar and the team, as multiple sources told the Journal Sentinel that Antetokounmpo has made it clear he plans to finish whatever games he can, when able. Even as he returned from a serious, second right calf strain on March 2, Antetokounmpo had let it be known he intended to play as often as possible. "For me, every game is worth it," he said after the victory against the Indiana Pacers.

More: What does Giannis Antetokounmpo want? He wants to retire with the Milwaukee Bucks The Bucks, on the other hand, now have their reservations. Though an MRI on March 16 revealed no structural damage to his left knee, Antetokounmpo was downgraded from questionable with a left ankle sprain to out about 90 minutes before the game against Cleveland on March 17.

Then, in his pregame media session, head coach Doc Rivers was asked if the team would weigh the risk of putting Antetokounmpo back on the court vs. the reward of him playing again. "That's a good question," Rivers said.