The Sconi

Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is keeping his eyes on the prize.

With the Bucks struggling through a winless preseason and set to open the regular season with key role players Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton sidelined, the two-time league MVP recently took to Twitter to post “all that matters is what you can carry over from the preseason to the regular season.”

After finishing last season 51-31 and advancing to the second round of the playoffs before being ousted by the Boston Celtics in a Game 7 thriller, the Bucks are set to visit the Philadelphia 76ers in their season opener Thursday night.

A three-time All-Star, Middleton is still recovering from off-season wrist surgery and is expected to miss the opening weeks of the season. After undergoing surgery in July to repair an injured ligament, Middleton had hoped to return to action during the preseason.  

According to SI.com, Connaughton could be sidelined for at least the first three weeks of the season with a right calf strain. The 29-year-old sharpshooter, who averaged 10 points a game last season in a year that included 19 starts, shot 39.5% from three-point range on 5.7 attempts per game. He underwent an MRI after experiencing soreness in his calf.  

After opening against the 76ers, the Bucks finish October with games against the Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons.