The Milwaukee Bucks will begin their 2023 NBA Playoffs run on Sunday afternoon against the Miami Heat at Fiserv Forum. Of course, the most important thing for the Bucks going into the Playoffs is to ensure that everyone is and stays healthy. That is why there has been a great deal of talk surrounding Khris Middleton in recent weeks. The three-time All-Star played in just 33 games this season due to wrist and knee injuries that he was recovering from. In the Bucks’ most recent game against the Chicago Bulls, Middleton reaggravated his knee injury, and his status for the Playoffs was up in the air.
Fortunately, head coach Mike Budenholzer was able to give promising updates to the media ahead of Game One on Sunday.
The Milwaukee Bucks Will Have Khris Middleton Healthy for the 2023 NBA Playoffs
The following is an excerpt from Eric Nehm’s series preview on The Athletic:
“When the Bucks got back on the floor on Tuesday this week, Budenholzer told reporters that Middleton was not able to fully participate in practice after Middleton re-aggravated his right knee soreness in the first quarter of the Bucks’ game against the Bulls on Apr. 5. Middleton then missed the Bucks’ final two regular season games. With that, though, Budenholzer informed reporters Middleton did individual work and he was on schedule to practice on Thursday, the Bucks’ second day on the floor as a team this week, after an off day on Wednesday.
“On Thursday, Budenholzer confirmed that Middleton got back on the floor and ‘did everything’ at practice, which is more significant than normal considering Grayson Allen and Brook Lopez said it featured the team’s most intense scrimmaging sessions since the All-Star break.”
A big question going forward, though, is how many minutes will Middleton be able to play? When the Bucks made their title run in 2021, Middleton led the team in minutes played. He also is the best wing scorer on the team. If he cannot play for too many minutes, the Bucks could find themselves in serious trouble. According to Nehm, that is not something Middleton is worried about:
“Yeah. I mean, look, if we need to be playing all these minutes — hopefully we won’t — I think that’s what the playoffs are for,” Middleton said, when asked by The Athletic if he felt he could play 40-plus minutes in a game right now. “We gotta be ready for any type of circumstances, playing any amount of minutes, so if need be, I’d play 55 minutes. Hopefully, I’ll be out there and able to do it.”
Let’s hope the Bucks can play well enough to ensure Middleton does NOT need to play 55 minutes in a game. That being said, it is awesome to hear that he is up for it!
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
