Is Giannis Antetokounmpo Playing Tonight Against Ja Morant and Grizzlies? 2022 NBA Preseason Availability Update on Bucks star

Will Giannis Antetokounmpo suit up for the Milwaukee Bucks tonight for the first game of the 2022 NBA preseason?

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks are coming off a failed title defense. With an Eastern Conference Semifinals loss to the Boston Celtics in a grueling 7-game series, the 2021 NBA Champions look to regain their dominance over the East.

An important aspect of the Bucks losing that series was that Khris Middleton was unavailable due to injury. Despite this, the series went on to 7. Giannis, on the other hand, looked as healthy as ever. Fans have seen him play through an injury, most famously during the 2021 NBA Finals after hyperextending his knee.

‘The Greek Freak’ is an underrated ‘Iron Man’ of this league, playing over 60 in every season of his career. Going into his 2022-23 campaign, it’s safe to say that fans can expect to see the same level of production from him.

However, before we get to see Giannis Antetokounmpo play in regular season games, we’ll have to see if we’ll see him during this 2022 NBA preseason.

Also read: Will Ja Morant play tonight against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks? 2022 NBA preseason injury update for Grizzlies star

Is Giannis Antetokounmpo going to play against the Grizzlies?

The Bucks general manager revealed that it’s unclear whether or not Khris Middleton will suit up for regular-season action from Game 1. That would mean he certainly won’t play in the preseason.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, is not on either CBS Sports or ESPN’s injured list. So fans can rest easy knowing that the 2x MVP hasn’t suffered any injuries in the last 4 months of the offseason.

However, usually for these preseason games, especially the first ones, teams are reluctant to field their superstar players. Add his appearance at EuroBasket games to the mix and Mike Budenholzer might feel like he’s better off not playing. Note that he sprained his ankle in a EuroBasket game in early September.

Dimitris Itoudis on concerns about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ankle injury:

“Giannis wouldn’t be back in the game, so he froze like he normally does behind closed doors, only now it was in public. Everything is alright.”

— Dionysis Aravantinos (@AravantinosDA) September 8, 2022

On the other hand, he is not hurt. And keeping a fully healthy Giannis on the sidelines while his teammates take on the Grizzlies would be a pretty tall order. Expect Giannis to play tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Also read: Will Khris Middleton play Ja Morant and the Grizzlies tonight in the 2022 NBA preseason?