Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the floor Monday night after a six-week absence, but the Milwaukee Bucks fell 108-81 to the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum.
The two-time MVP finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes in his first game since Jan. 23.
“Felt good. I feel a little bit rusty,” Antetokounmpo said. “Obviously something new in my career being out for such a long time and not just one time, multiple times in a season. It definitely disrupt my rhythm, but at the end of the day, I just try to take it day by day, game by game. I’m happy that I’m back.”
The forward acknowledged the challenge of managing a second calf strain and adjusting expectations at age 31.
“I’ve been injured a lot,” he said. “They’ve told me in the past four weeks out, I’ve come back in seven days. They’ve told me three weeks out, I’ve been back in four days. So I thought it’d be the same. And I think that’s sometimes not good, because it’s just like a false reality.”
He added: “I’m 31 years old. Just got to be able to be more smarter moving forward. Things that I was able to do in the past, maybe I’m not able to do now. I just got to be more methodical with my rehab.”
When asked why this recovery felt different, Antetokounmpo was direct.
“I’m just stubborn,” he said. “Sometimes that’s smart, sometimes it’s not smart. Things that I can do in the past, maybe I can’t do no more. I just got to be smarter. I’m not 24 years old no more.”
The All-Star described the season as uneven physically.
“I feel like I’ve been playing the whole year with like a deficit,” he said. “Imagine it’s a bank account and you’re at minus $50. You come back and you’re plus $10 and then all of a sudden you go back minus 15 and you just keep on playing in that line, which is not good. You just got to fill the tank.”
Antetokounmpo indicated he remains on a minutes restriction.
“I think I’m in minute restriction from what I’m understanding,” he said. “I just got to trust the coaching staff, trust the training staff, and slowly get back in rhythm.”
Milwaukee is 26-34 and has lost three straight by at least 23 points. The Bucks are 15-16 with Antetokounmpo this season and 11-18 without him.
“I feel like the team plays at its best when everybody’s connected,” he said. “Right now, I’m just happy that I’m out there. We got 24 games left. It’s 24 finals. We just got to take it a game at a time.”
He emphasized ball movement and identity as priorities.
“We got to keep on moving the ball, finding open shot, keep on creating advantage for the next guy,” Antetokounmpo said. “By doing the little things, we’re going to get ourselves back in the rhythm.”
For now, his focus remains internal.
“Right now, I’m just trying to get back in the rhythm,” he said. “Maybe this is the first time of my career that they got to help me find my identity, not vice versa.”
