Bucks forward Khris Middleton still isn’t quite healthy enough to return from the ankle injury that has sidelined him since February 6, head coach Doc Rivers said on Thursday, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter links).
“He’s just not ready,” Rivers said. “He’s close, as I’ve said for, I don’t know, 10 games now, it feels like it, but he’s really close. I’ll stop there.”
After wrapping up a four-game road trip on Tuesday, the Bucks are back in Milwaukee for a two-game homestand and will have days off on Friday and Saturday between those two contests. Those off days could result in some practice time for Middleton, Rivers noted.
“It does help,” Rivers said. “We have two days off. And we may practice on both days, which is unusual to do, number one, and unusual that you have two days. But we feel like we may do it regardless, just to get him some time with the guys.”
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, who has missed the past three games due to a right ankle sprain, has been upgraded from doubtful to questionable for Friday’s game in Utah, tweets Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. There’s optimism Johnson will be available for that matchup with the Jazz, adds Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
- Star forward Kawhi Leonard was available for the Clippers on Thursday after leaving Tuesday’s contest due to back spasms, but James Harden missed the game in Chicago due to a left shoulder strain. As Law Murray of The Athletic tweets, it snapped a streak of 59 straight appearances for Harden, his longest such run since 2017.
- Injured Heat guard Tyler Herro and big man Kevin Love didn’t travel with the team to Detroit for Friday’s contest, the first of a four-game road trip, per Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. While Herro (right foot) and Love (right heel) could meet up with the Heat at some point during the trip, it doesn’t appear either player is on the verge of returning.
- Wizards forward Deni Avdija left Thursday’s game vs. Houston following an awkward collision with Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (video link) and told Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link) after the game that his left knee is sore. However, he’s optimistic about his prognosis. “I feel like I kind of avoided something severe, and I’m happy about that,” Avdija said. “That’s all that matters.”
Which young trio would you rather have on your team for the next decade, Bilal Coulibaly/Deni Avdija/Marvin Bagley, Tyler Herro/Jaime Jaquez/Nikola Jovic, AJ Griffin/Jalen Johnson/Onyeka Okongwu, Nick Smith Jr/Brandon Miller/Mark Williams or Jalen Suggs/Anthony Black/Jett Howard? Rank a top3 if possible…
Oooh, that’s a tough one. Pretty much all but the Magic one are extremely close for me. I would say:
#1.) Herro/Jaquez/Jovic
#2.) Smith Jr./Miller/Williams
#3.) Deni/Coulibaly/Bagley
#4.) Griffin/Johnson/Okongwu
#5.) Suggs/Black/Howard
My faith in Jett Howard is less than zero. 100% convinced he’ll be a bust. Just too slow to be a good defender at the 2-guard spot and not strong enough with not enough length to handle the 3. Classic tweener problems. Not convinced his shot creation is enough to work out as a sixth man either. May just be small sample size, but I had the same concerns about him in college. Black and Suggs are good, but not enough to outclass Johnson and Okongwu. Black would be the one to prove me wrong if there are any.
I don’t think highly of Griffin, but what he showed as a rookie gives me enough to keep some faith in his development. He’s been okay with the Skyhawks in the G-League. On the other hand, Jalen Johnson looks like a potential stud. Pretty much no weaknesses with expansive upside that he’s already starting to realize. He’s probably the best individual prospect listed here. Okongwu’s defensive upside is nice, and his deepening bag make me consider him a possible full-time starter. Still a limited player, but a good, quality starter is still a great outcome.
Coulibaly’s defensive upside and pure athleticism is just amazing. If he improves his ballhandling and jumper, he’s got All-Star potential, and even if not his floor as a 2-way wing is exciting. Avdija has finally started to unlock his potential as a combo forward who can do it all. He’s still not done growing either, just 23 even if it feels like he’s been around forever. And Bagley looks better. Still not near his draft position (though 2nd overall picks have a higher bust tendency than most picks around them), but the floor as a high quality backup 5 is there. His rim protection has taken a jump with more consistent minutes and his rebounding keeps improving. Plus he looks improved in drop coverage. The ceiling isn’t massive, but a guy who can consistently score, rebound effectively, shoot a bit, and defend at an average to above-average level is still a starting-caliber center. I’d say that the Hawks have a higher ceiling as a group, but a lower floor. And for a 10-year bet, I want some stability.
The Hornets 3 and the Wizards 3 are pretty much equal value in my eyes, and both are only a hair above Atlanta, mostly because of my lower opinion of Griffin. Smith’s 3-n-D upside is big. Williams looks like an amazing Center for the squad, but he needs to stay on the court. And Miller has been everything the Paul George comp said he could be. Clear future All-Star as long as he continues to develop.
And the Heat are the top because Herro is already really good at only 24 and his playmaking continues to improve, Jaquez is already a quality 2-way wing with still greater upside (100% sure his 3-ball will improve and he’s already shooting 50% from the field on the season, and 36% from 3 in his last ten games), and Jovic is an exciting fit for the team with clear offensive upside and a path to greater defense. 6’10” with a 7’1″ wingspan at his agility alone is enough to project better defense, but he’s shown improvement on that end this season as well, just not as much as his offense. The Heat are also the best developmental org of the ones listed.
I disagree with a lot of what you said (esp abt Jett, Onyeka & Deni). But I gotta respect the way you laid out your thoughts… But yea Onyeka is definitely better than Mark Williams & Nikola Jovic.
I’m not 100% on him outclassing Williams (Williams’ offensive game is probably deeper with the possibility of being an equally good defender), but yeah, Jovic isn’t as good. That said, Jovic isn’t a Center and never will be, so a direct comparison there isn’t really possible. The difference with Williams and Onyeka is also miniscule, I like Onyeka pretty well. Just wasn’t sold on him doing enough on offense, which he has proven he can do this year. The thing making me rate Atlanta lower is my lack of faith in Griffin versus the certainty that Smith will be a good 3-n-D player. Miller and Jalen are both studs. Like I said, all these teams are close.
Avdija is finally reaching his actual potential. He’s going to keep going. The changes in his game are more than just him getting more shots. He’s better across the board and already had a good floor as a multi-positional swingman or utility guy.
Jett has to prove me wrong first. He isn’t playing at all, and has looked godawful when he has played. The defensive concerns were there since college. Scouts were really down on his ability to stay in front of guards and his wingspan is equal to his height, so he has no extra length. He is an offense-first prospect who isn’t getting a chance to play, and his draft position was considered a reach.
idk why the bucks gave an extension to middleton bro has been hurt for the past 3 years. could have spent that money elsewhere
Frustrating. They’re playing the long game with Giannis – those guys are close, trying to keep team chemistry, showing players the Bucks try to take care of players, etc… Hope he can be ready for the playoff push, but yeah, the dude is worn out. Time always wins.
It essentially just cost them the Mle + cash player wise
Can argue a Mle is worth more than him today and I’d be ok with that but it’s not a dollars to doughnuts conp
They couldn’t have spent the money elsewhere though…
Giannis, Jrue(at the time), Brook(coming back), Portis, Project Pat, and Allen all made it so no additional max money could be spent. Middleton came back because they have bird rights.
If some other team wanted him they may have worked out a sign and trade. The problem was bad teams had money those teams have young players. Bucks wanted vets to entice Giannis they are win now and convince Dame to come in trade.