After a lengthy hiatus due to injury, Giannis Antetokounmpo officially returned for the Milwaukee Bucks, as his team took on the Boston Celtics.
The Greek Freak scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in his first game back since becoming injured Jan. 23 against the Denver Nuggets. Unfortunately, his return performance came in a disappointing loss, 108-81 to the Celtics, who were shorthanded without NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown in the lineup.
That said, Giannis’ appearance back on the court was a welcome sight for fans. Based on his postgame remarks, he’s also happy to be back playing for the Bucks despite all those trade rumors that surrounded his status with Milwaukee earlier this season.
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“I’m just happy that I’m on the court,” he said after Monday’s game. “It doesn’t matter if I play 18 minutes, 20 minutes, 22, whatever, I’m just happy that I’m out there,” Giannis said, per ESPN’s Jamal Collier.
“Obviously did not play well tonight, but at the end of the day, I’m just happy that I’m out there being able to help my teammates in any way that I can and just do what I love, which is play basketball,” he said.
Ahead of this season’s NBA trade deadline, rumors swirled that Giannis was on his way out of Milwaukee. However, the team kept their superstar, which surprised many people given all the speculative hype that he’d join a new team.
That seemed to prove the Bucks’ commitment to Giannis as their franchise superstar, keeping everyone happy, for now.
Monday night’s loss dropped Milwaukee to 26-34 for the season, keeping them on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff standings. To have a chance for the play-in games, they’d need to finish at least 10th in the conference.
However, the Greek Freak seems to give them that opportunity. While Giannis admitted to feeling rusty in his return to the hardwood, he’s likely to get back to the elite level he’s been playing at throughout his time in Milwaukee.
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