There was less than encouraging news regarding an update on Milwaukee Bucks star forward Khris Middleton. He underwent left wrist surgery in July and his timetable for a return is unknown. He is a crucial piece to their roster so the team can ill-afford to lose him for an extended period but it appears that might be the case.
Wrist Injury Worse Than Originally Thought
On the Bucks Media Day, Middleton said he suffered the injury after the all-star break and just played through it. He missed 16 regular season games last year and the Bucks went 7-9 without him. But eventually he had surgery in July to repair a torn ligament after the Bucks were eliminated from the playoffs in the second round and has not done any basketball activities since. Middleton will be out for potentially the first six games of the regular season. Milwaukee’s first six games can be found here. Last season, he averaged 20 points while shooting 44% from the field.
Middleton’s Impact On the Team
His biggest impact came during the 2021 playoffs with two huge games that are worth noting. First, Middleton had a 38 point masterpiece in game six against the Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Bur his finest hour was in game four of the NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns when he scored 40 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Overall, Middleton had five games scoring 30 or more points.
Closing Thoughts
When the team is fully healthy, expectations are high, not only from the team and fans but also opposing teams. It will be more difficult this season with a resurgent Eastern Conference including the 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat just to name a few teams. But if any team can rise above, it’s the Milwaukee Bucks. They have arguably the best player in basketball in Giannis Antetokounmpo, a defensive specialist in Jrue Holiday and a do it all player with Khris Middleton and a good bench.
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