According to ESPN's Shams Charania, star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is set to return from injury on Monday night against the Boston Celtics, possibly giving the Bucks an outside chance at the play-in tournament.
The Milwaukee Bucks find themselves just outside of the playoff picture as Doc Rivers and his squad has done everything in their power to stay afloat over the last month without the Greek Freak.
Antetokounmpo's return to the lineup gives the Bucks a chance to make a run down the stretch with the possibility of flipping the script and punching their ticket to the NBA Playoffs.
The NBA Play-In Tournament could use the return of a player like Antetokounmpo to send a major shakeup across the league landscape, especially for top seeds in each conference, one of which is the Detroit Pistons.
Pistons playoff picture could be shifted with Giannis return
As the No. 1 seed in the East, the Pistons were already given a bit of a confusing advantage with their first-round opponent set to be decided at the very last second.
Unlike seeds 3-6, the top two teams from each conference are forced to deal with the element of suspense each year with the playoff picture not being finalized until the end of the Play-In Tournament.
For teams like the Bucks, who sit 3 games out of the tournament picture, this is good news considering their underwhelming start to the season has yet to eliminate them from postseason contention.
However, for a squad like the Pistons, not only will they be likely forced to find out their opponent after every other team in the league, but they could be forced to face off against a two-time MVP in one of the most unfortunate scenarios that could unfold.
Detroit's list of potential playoff opponents
As mentioned above, the Bucks find themselves outside of the NBA Play-In Tournament, but with a late push down the stretch, Milwaukee could find a way to shave some ground and give themselves the opportunity to compete for a postseason bid.
With teams like the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets all currently rounding out the current outlook of Play-In teams, Detroit will have their hands full when it comes to scouting potential opponents ahead of April.
Each team has different strengths, weaknesses and vastly different personnel; all of which that will impact the Pistons' game plan ahead of their first-round matchup.
If four different potential opponents didn't complicate things enough, Antetokounmpo's return back in the mix to lead a Bucks' charge adds yet another team to the list of first-round opponents for the Pistons.