Giannis Antetokounmpo is working to get back on the court for the Milwaukee Bucks after a calf strain injury from last month, and it looks like he's been making real progress. It's still uncertain when he'll return to the court, but head coach Doc Rivers did note that he was playing 4-on-4, which is a good sign, according to him.
Rivers was recently asked about Antetokounmpo's return, as there needed to be some clarification on whether he could return, even though he didn't have to particularly have to play 5-on-5 to be cleared.
“Guys, this is not rocket science stuff. Like, we do 3-on-3, 4- on-4, sometimes we do 5-on-5, sometimes we don't. And it doesn't really matter,” Rivers said via Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
Rivers was then asked what Antetokounmpo needed to do to get cleared, and gave a very bizarre answer.
“I have no idea, honestly. Maybe I should ask and I can get you the information, but I know he's close. I don't think he's close like tomorrow, but he's getting closer and he looked great. And that's all I know. I can tell you what my eyes see and he looks good,” Rivers said.
It almost feels as if Rivers may be keeping a secret on how close Antetokounmpo could be to returning, but he also may genuinely not know and is leaving it up to the training staff.
The good news is that Antetokounmpo is making progress, and they've been able to win games without him. The goal is for the Bucks to try and climb the standings so they can possibly sneak into the Play-In, but they're either going to have to play an almost perfect two months, or the teams above them are going to have to take a fall.
In the end, all they can do is focus on what they do, while also hoping they get their star player back sooner rather than later.
