The Milwaukee Bucks will take on the Philadelphia 76ers in Wednesday’s season opener without the services of Khris Middleton, according to Shams Charania.
Middleton remains out to start the NBA season as he rehabs from offseason ankle surgeries. The Bucks are cautiously working their way through bringing Khris Middleton back.
Khris Middleton’s playoff series against the Pacers
He played through this injury in the playoffs and averaged 24.7 points, nine rebounds and 4.7 assists last season against the Indiana Pacers. It had to hurt, yet he played through it. Hopefully this surgery helped his pain, and he’ll be more athletic than he’s been over the past two years.
We haven’t seen a healthy version of him in quite a while now. A healthy Khris Middleton can still be a threat to be once the second-best player on the team, behind Giannis, but with Dame now, I guess Khris can only be as good as the third best player behind Giannis and Dame.
Khris Middleton’s injury in the 2022 NBA Playoffs
In 2022, Khris Middleton sprained the MCL in his left knee; this injury made him miss games 3 and 4 against the Bulls in the 1st round of the playoffs. He also missed the second-round series against the Boston Celtics.
Khris Middleton, Dame Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez have not played enough together to just turn it on in the playoffs. This team needs all the reps they can get before playoffs. Over the last three years, Milwaukee always had some injury that deteriorated their championship hopes.
Khris Middleton showcasing his shooting abilities
ESPN ranked Khris Middleton as the 63rd best player in the NBA this season. He was ranked 46th last season. He dropped 17 spots.
Middleton is one of the most efficient midrange scorers in the league-pure footwork & shot making artistry. 22-7-5 on 57 TS% in the playoffs since ’18. Very underrated playmaker.
Khris Middleton in the 2021 NBA Finals vs Suns
Middleton had a 40-point game in thee 2021 NBA finals against the Phoenix Suns. He hit the game winner in Game 1 against the Miami Heat in the 1st round. In the Conference Finals, he scored 38 points against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3.
That said, it goes without saying that the absence of Middleton will clearly hurt the Bucks in the opener against the 76ers, but his health and long-term contribution clearly are the priority. Hopefully, the rehab goes according to plan, and he can return to help the Bucks.
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