Giannis still bothered by knee hyperextension

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo did not participate in his team's first official practice of training camp on Tuesday due to a knee injury suffered in last season's Eastern Conference Finals.

"Giannis did not practice today," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said, according to The Athletic's Eric Nehm.

Antetokounmpo assuaged concerns of a serious injury during Monday's media day. "There’s no rush for me here. I’m good to go, but if I feel pain again or whatever the case might be, I have to listen to my body," Antetokounmpo said, according to Nehm.

"I’ve played through pain. I don’t think now is the time to risk that. It’s too early in the season, but at the end of the day, I feel good physically, mentally. I’ll do whatever I have to do to be 100 percent," Antetokounmpo said.

Antetokounmpo hyperextended his left knee in Game 4 when he landed awkwardly following a block attempt on Atlanta Hawks big man Clint Capela.

Initially, it seemed the 26-year-old suffered a serious injury, though he bounced back soon after for a historic MVP performance in The Finals versus the Phoenix Suns.

While neither the team nor Antetokounmpo provided a timeframe for his return, Budenholzer didn't sound overly concerned about his star player's long-term availability.

"Fortunately, I think most importantly Giannis understands his body better than any of us and the relationship with the sports performance staff is strong and the trust is strong," Budenholzer said. "And you add me into the mix and just figure out the best way to help him just work through anything he’s got going on with his body and have him healthy and ready to go as much and as often as possible."

The Bucks kick-off their preseason schedule on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 5, two weeks before starting their title defense with a visit from the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 19.