Bucks forward Khris Middleton is expected to miss the first few weeks of the regular season as he continues to recover from offseason wrist surgery, sources tell Shams Charania and Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
According to Charania and Nehm, the Bucks are hoping to get Middleton back in their lineup at some point in November. The team has six regular season games on its schedule for October, then 14 more in November.
Middleton had another productive season for Milwaukee in 2021/22, averaging more than 20 points per game (20.1) for a third straight season to go along with 5.4 RPG and a career-high 5.4 APG in 66 games (32.4 MPG). However, a sprained MCL sidelined him during the postseason and he was unavailable when the Bucks fell to Boston in a seven-game second round series.
In addition to Middleton, Pat Connaughton (calf strain) and Joe Ingles (ACL surgery recovery) will also be on the shelf for the Bucks to open the season, so the club will have to rely on its depth in the early going. Guards George Hill and Jevon Carter and wings Jordan Nwora and Wesley Matthews are among the players who could see increased roles in the coming weeks.
This is going to be difficult start for the Bucks. Their bench is thin. A lot of players are past their prime. Lopez comes off the books after this season and Middleton has two more seasons. Definitely an opportunity to get younger and quicker as they retool around Giannis.
Yes but hopefully by Christmas they are in full swing with everyone healthy and ramped up. The Bucks are still in the class of the East with a couple of other teams. They should have no problem getting a good seed in the playoffs and doing some major damage. How far they go could be determined by a quality buyout pick up. That guy plugs a hole and the Bucks could be set for another finals appearance.
With all the injuries they have I don’t think the Milwaukee Bucks are going to be as good this season and I can see the Cleveland Cavaliers winning that division.