NBA Rumors: Once again, the Milwaukee Bucks must prove that they can survive without Khris Middleton. He will miss the first few weeks of the season.
During last season’s NBA Playoffs, the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks falter in the Eastern Conference semifinals at the hands of the Boston Celtics in Game 7. A big part of that was the absence of Khris Middleton.
And to start this season, the Bucks are going to continue to have to prove that they can survive without their all-star. After undergoing offseason wrist surgery, there was no guarantee that Middleton would be ready for the start of the season. Now, with the start of the regular for the Bucks just two days away, that has become apparent.
According to a recent report, Middleton will miss the first few weeks of the Bucks’ season. Depending on how much time he misses, the Bucks could be without Middleton for at least 10 games, and possibly more.
Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton is expected to miss the first few weeks of the regular season as he rehabs from offseason wrist surgery, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Middleton said at Media Day that he did not expect to play in the season opener this week.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 17, 2022
The Milwaukee Bucks can surprise without Khris Middleton in the regular season
The good news is that the Bucks should be able to survive without Middleton during the regular season. Can they survive again without Middleton in the postseason; that’s an entirely different story.
But during the regular season, the Bucks should be able to get by.
As was the case in last year’s playoffs, Giannis Antetokounmpo will be asked to do more. The same will be said about Jrue Holiday. But the hope is that this is not something that wears on the Bucks, as it did in the playoffs last year.
For a team like the Bucks, it’s more important that Middleton is right for the playoffs. And they should be willing to trade off the first few weeks of the season to assure that Middleton will be fully recovered from the offseason procedure.
The expectation is that the Bucks are going to be healthy at some point this season, preferably during the second half of the year and into the playoffs. If that ends up being the case, this is a team that will play a big factor in who wins this year’s NBA championship.
This news is somewhat unfortunate but it’s far from the end of the world for the Bucks heading into the start of the season. It was somewhat expected. Here’s hoping that Middleton is back sooner rather than later for the Bucks.