Milwaukee Bucks lose another rotation player as Pau Gasol hurts ankle

The injury bug strikes the Milwaukee Bucks again as they lose a third rotation player as the NBA Playoffs quickly approach

With the playoffs less than a month away, most teams primed for the post-season are focused on getting there healthy and playing their best basketball of the season thus far. The Milwaukee Bucks, who have the NBA’s best record, are only batting .500 on that goal.

In just the last couple of weeks, the Bucks have lost three rotation players. First, it was Malcolm Brogdon and then Nikola Mirotic, who are expected to miss multiple weeks – possibly even the first-round of the playoffs entirely.

Now, the Bucks have also lost recently acquired Pau Gasol. Gasol suffered a left ankle injury after just playing in three games for Milwaukee.

Even though Gasol wasn’t averaging huge minutes and producing big numbers for the Bucks, he does cut into a team’s depth that is already thin. Especially up front after losing Mirotic last week.

The Bucks are talented enough to get through a first-round playoff matchup against the Heat, Nets or Magic, but if these injuries continue to linger into the second-round it could pose issues in a potential matchup with a team like the Celtics or Pacers.

With how dominant they’ve looked so far this season, the only variable that could derail the Bucks is injuries. And with everything that’s been happening to the Bucks over the last few weeks, you can’t help but wonder if this simply isn’t their year.

After the MVP season that Giannis Antetokounmpo has put together, it would be a real shame for it to be thrown away because he’s not fully equipped with a healthy supporting cast heading into the playoffs.