Giannis Antetokounmpo is working his way back onto the court for the Milwaukee Bucks after suffering a calf strain injury last month and it looks like he's making real progress. It is still uncertain when he will return to the court, but head coach Doc Rivers noted that he has been playing 4-on-4, which he thinks is a good sign.
Rivers was recently asked about Antetokounmpo's return, as some clarification was needed on whether he could return, even though he didn't specifically need to play 5-on-5 to be cleared.
"Guys, it's not a rocket science thing. 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 he gave a very strange answer.
"To be honest, I have no idea. Maybe I should ask and I can give you information, but I know he's close. I don't think he's as close as yesterday, but he's getting close and he looks 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 is keeping it a secret as to how close Antetokounmpo may be to a return, but even he doesn't really know and is leaving it up to the training staff.
The good news is that Antetokounmpo is making progress, and they are able to win games without him. The goal is for the Bucks to try to climb up the standings so they can possibly get into the play-ins, but they either have to play for about two months, or face losses to the teams above them.
Ultimately, they can focus on what they can do, while also hoping that they get their star player back as soon as possible.
