A rough stretch for the Milwaukee Bucks got even rougher on Monday as superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a groin injury that’s expected to keep him out for at least the next one to two weeks. To make matters even worse, the Cavaliers handed the Bucks their third loss in four games and sent their record to a concerning 8-7 overall despite a decently fast start. 

The Bucks obviously go as Giannis goes, and their presumed outlook against teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, and New York Knicks over the next few weeks doesn’t feel encouraging. The silver lining is that there is some reprieve in the schedule, with a back-to-back against the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets around the time Giannis comes back.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers certainly knows how precarious the Bucks' current injury situation is with Giannis out, as well as Kevin Porter Jr., who underwent surgery for a torn meniscus earlier this month. Rivers has also been around the game long enough to know that tough times like these are the perfect moment for an unexpected player to step up and find their role in the NBA.

The Bucks know that firsthand, given the emergence of guard Ryan Rollins this season, which began with a 32-point game in late October in a win against the Warriors without Giannis in the lineup.

“There's always a silver lining, guys,” Rivers said. “I'm telling you, I believe that all the time. I don't know what it is. It doesn't look good right now. We got (Porter Jr.) out, Giannis out. That's not great for our team. But we're going to either find somebody or find something to run that will pay dividends later. And that's the stretch that we're about to go through. We'll be ready.”

Another added bonus for the Bucks in the wake of Antetokounmpo’s untimely injury is the fact they have two days off before returning to the court on Thursday, and they spent the day Tuesday out in the community making a positive impact and hopefully getting a positive mental and physical boost with a day off from practice as well.

“I'm glad we have two days off, for sure,” Rivers said. But tomorrow, we won't do anything. This team needs a break. We're going to get it tomorrow. I think we got a day of service tomorrow, so we're going to go out into the community and do some work, get our minds off of basketball, and get our minds on helping people. You know, that's probably the best medicine.”