The 2023-24 campaign came to a disappointing end for Giannis Antetokounmpo, as a soleus strain forced him to miss the Milwaukee Bucks first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, which they ended up losing in six games. It was a frustrating end to what was a frustrating season overall for the Bucks, but sometimes, that's just how the cookie crumbles.
With the season officially over now, Antetokounmpo has turned his attention towards the 2024 Olympic qualifiers, where he hopes to take the court for his native Greece. While Giannis recently said that he is feeling better in terms of his injury status as the qualifiers draw near, he also admitted that he hasn't practiced with contact yet, which will certainly catch fans' attention.
Will Giannis Antetokounmpo be ready for Olympic qualifiers?
It would obviously be great to see Antetokounmpo on the court for these games, but if he's not fully healthy, he's not going to force himself into the action unnecessarily. The fact that he's feeling better is good, but if he hasn't participated in any sort of contact drill or practice yet, that's not exactly a good sign for his status.
In order for Greece to have virtually any shot in qualifying for the Olympics, they will need Giannis on the floor for them. He is easily the biggest star on the Greek basketball team, and without him, they don't exactly stack up well against the competition. As a result, the Greece national team is going to do whatever they can to get Antetokounmpo healthy for these games.
While the 2023-24 season didn't end the way the Bucks wanted it to, it was another spectacular campaign for Antetokounmpo individually (30.4 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 61.1 FG%). While the incorporation of Damian Lillard into the fold was a bit bumpy, Giannis used the attention given to him on the offensive end of the floor to put up some huge numbers himself.
If he does end up playing for Greece, he's going to need to produce at a similar level in order for them to have a shot at winning. While there are some solid players on the roster alongside him, nobody is close to being on the same superstar level as Giannis on the team. That's why his status for his country is so important.
While it looks like Antetokounmpo appears to be better than he was during the Bucks playoff run, he's still not fully 100 percent healthy if he hasn't been cleared for contact yet, so he's in a bit of a time crunch. He could still find his way on the court, but this admission on his end doesn't make it seem all that likely, and if he ends up being unable to play, Greece could be in some serious trouble.
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