By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
On the heels of his second appearance in friendly action Wednesday, Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play against Georgia Thursday.
In the latter stages of the training camp, Greece will conclude the 31st International Tournament Acropolis Aegean facing Turkey Friday. After being rested today, the Greek Freak is expected to be part of the final test before official games take over the schedule next week.
Antetokounmpo, 27, is slated to be the leader of the Greece national team from the approaching 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers to the 2022 EuroBasket covering a large chunk of September.
The current plan is for him to be available in the opening game of Group I of the World Cup European Qualifiers against Serbia on the road next Thursday. At the bottom half of the approaching FIBA international window, the team coached by Dimitris Itoudis will also host Belgium on 28 August. The 3-1 record from the previous round makes a solid advantage in the hunt for a berth in next summer’s World Cup.
Switching focus to EuroBasket, Greece will play in Group C of the preliminary round. Fixtures opposite Croatia, Italy, Great Britain, Ukraine, and Estonia in Milan shape the schedule between 2 and 8 September. The top four sides of the group will progress to the next round and travel to Berlin.
Commanding the offense, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar tallied 27.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest in the friendly wins over Spain and Poland in Athens. Missing the Greek Freak, Greece fell to Spain finishing the home-and-away series versus Spain last week.