Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said he “did not play well” on his return from injury but the two-time NBA MVP was just “happy” to be back on the court.
The 31-year-old made his comeback after missing six weeks of action with a calf strain in a 108-81 defeat against the Boston Celtics.
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He put up 19 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes in a defeat that left the 2021 champion Bucks 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 26-34 record.
Antetokounmpo said “we’ve got 24 games left – it’s 24 fights” when asked about the Bucks’ battle to reach the post-season.
“Obviously I did not play well, but at the end of the day, I’m just happy that I’m out there being able to help my team-mates in any way that I can and just do what I love, which is play basketball,” he added.
“I’m just happy that I’m on the court. It doesn’t matter if I play 18 minutes, 20 minutes, 22, whatever, I’m just happy that I’m out there.”
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Antetokounmpo missed 15 games through injury and says he has “got to be smarter moving forward because things that I was able to do in the past, maybe I’m not able to do now”.
Rivers on Antetokounmpo return
Antetokounmpo’s injury in January came shortly before the NBA trade deadline.
The deadline passed with him still a Bucks player, despite heavy speculation that he could leave.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before the game against the Celtics that he would ease Antetokounmpo back into action.
“I’m not going to overdo it,” he explained. “It’s not like we had a big practice or a shootaround on Monday morning, so it’s not the ideal way of bringing him back.
“But the fact that he’s available, you put him in and you figure it out.”
