Giannis Antetokounmpo - Tried best but wasn't close to playoff return - ESPN

MILWAUKEE — Despite trying to push himself to be available to the Bucks for the playoffs, Giannis Antetokounmpo acknowledged he was «not close» to returning from his strained left calf, adding he only could run at about 30-40%.

«I tried my best to come back to help my teammates,» Antetokounmpo said Friday, a day after the Bucks dropped their first-round series to the Indiana Pacers. «It's kind of hard to see them being out there and not being able to help them, but I just couldn't.

»I did all the tests I had to do, these like protocols you have to follow and have to check the boxes. I wasn't even close at checking the boxes."

Antetokounmpo last played April 9. He ended up missing three weeks with his left calf strain, sitting out the final three regular-season games and the Bucks' six-game postseason.

This was the second consecutive postseason when Antetokounmpo has missed games with an injury, with a back issue having sidelined him for multiple games of the 2023 playoffs. It left Antetokounmpo to consider whether he needs to change his approach heading into next season.

«I don't know. Maybe I do follow a different pattern,» Antetokounmpo said. «Maybe try different things. I don't like the word 'rest.' Like, if I can play, I will play. If I cannot play, I can't play.

»I'm for sure going to sit down and think about it, of how my summer is going to look like and how next year is going to look like."

One potential factor in Antetokounmpo's summer schedule is the Paris Olympics. Antetokounmpo has previously expressed interest in playing in the Olympics but has not confirmed that he will. Greece also still has to earn a spot in the Games in a July qualification tournament.

Antetokounmpo said he would take about two to three