The Milwaukee Bucks are coming off a tough 4-2 second-round series loss to the Indiana Pacers. Milwaukee did not have Giannis Antetokounmpo or Damian Lillard due to nagging lower leg injuries. To make matters worse, Giannis' brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo has been hit with a shocking Achilles injury after the Bucks' postseason run.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo gets devasting injury diagnosis

Forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo has sustained a torn Achilles tendon and will undergo surgery, Shams Charania reports. Antetokounmpo did not see much time on the floor during the Pacers series or the regular season, yet, his injury is devastating. Hopefully, he will have a speedy and efficient recovery process.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo appeared in 34 regular season games for the Bucks and only played 4.6 minutes per contest. Antetokounmpo's on-the-court production is not eye-popping, but he offers great support to his younger brother Giannis and the rest of the Bucks squad.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had big plans for the Bucks in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, but a late regular season calf strain prevented him from playing. Antetokounmpo was playing some of the best basketball of his career in 2023-24. The 29-year-old averaged 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks.

Unfortunately, the NBA world did not get to see what the star forward could do in the postseason with Damian Lillard. The Portland Trail Blazers traded Lillard to Milwaukee shortly before the start of the regular season. As a result, the Bucks' championship odds increased. However, things did not come to fruition in 2024.

Lillard suffered an Achilles injury that caused him to miss some of the Pacers series. Before that, he achieved stout regular-season production. Lillard averaged 24.4 points, 7.0 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Ironically, Lillard and the Antetokounmpo brothers all suffered serious lower leg ailments. Hopefully, everyone can recover during the offseason and come back ready to reload in 2024-25.

Bucks look to return strong for 2024-25

Milwaukee was not pleased with their first-round exit in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Frustrations boiled over in their Game 6 loss to the Pacers when Patrick Beverley got into a heated altercation with a fan. Beverley threw the game ball at a fan behind the Bucks bench, inadvertently striking her in the head.

He then called for the ball back and threw it at another fan before being held back by his teammates. The veteran guard faced massive backlash for the move and broke the silence shortly afterward.

“Unfortunate situation that should have never happened,” Beverley said. “What I did was bad, and that should have never happened. I have to be better and I will be better. That should have never happened. Regardless of what was said, that should have never happened, simple as that.”

Beverley was caught in more controversy when he refused an interview with an ESPN reporter due to her not being subscribed to his podcast. The veteran guard will be sure to clean up his interactions. Milwaukee needs depth pieces like himself to make a deep run in 2025.

After earning the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs amid many changes, the Bucks are poised for a leap. Once the team gets healthy and has more continuity with each other, the sky is the limit.