Giannis Antetokounmpo is day-to-day with a rest issue and will not play in Saturday's preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Miami Heat will lean on the rest of the rotation to cover his workload in his absence.
What happened
Antetokounmpo was listed as day-to-day with a rest issue on the injury report Saturday at 6:46 p.m. ET, a designation with no previous status attached. Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported that Antetokounmpo won't be available for Saturday's preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The forward had been day-to-day earlier this year with a left knee and leg issue on Sept. 6, and he was cleared from that day-to-day status on Sept. 29. This latest listing is tied to rest, separate from that earlier knee issue.
What it means for the Heat
Miami hosts Minnesota on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET in a preseason game with Antetokounmpo sidelined. Last season he averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 28.9 minutes across 36 games. Without him, the heaviest minutes load falls to Bam Adebayo, who averaged 32.4 minutes and 20.1 points in those games, Tyler Herro at 31.3 minutes and 20.5 points, and Andrew Wiggins at 30.3 minutes and 15.4 points. The Heat are 0-0, since the 2026-27 regular season has not started, so there is no record split with or without him yet.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Antetokounmpo's rest designation changes before his expected return date of Oct. 14. Several teammates carry their own designations: Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson and Davion Mitchell are also day-to-day with rest, Dru Smith and Kylor Kelley are day-to-day with right calf issues, and Keshad Johnson is out with a hamstring injury.
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo playing vs Timberwolves?
No. Antetokounmpo is day-to-day with a rest issue and will not play in Saturday's preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
When will Giannis Antetokounmpo be back?
The injury report lists an expected return date of Oct. 14, 2026.