The start of the 2022-23 NBA season is going to be an uphill battle for the Milwaukee Bucks. While they have superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to help carry the load, the supporting cast is going to be lacking the first few weeks of the season.
On Monday, what many people were expecting concerning Khris Middleton became official. According to The Athletic, he is going to miss the first few weeks of the season as he continues to rehab from the off-season wrist surgery that he had.
Middleton mentioned during Media Day that he likely wouldn’t be ready for Opening Night, and the hope currently is that he will be ready to go sometime in November. The last few months have been tough for Middleton when it comes to injuries.
In late July, Middleton underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his wrist. That followed a knee injury that cost him the final 10 games of the Bucks’ postseason run as he injured his MCL in the team’s first-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Khris Middleton & Milwaukee Bucks Updates
Middleton’s absence was too much for the Bucks to overcome, as they lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games in the second round. The three-time All-Star averaged 20.1 points to go along with 5.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 66 games, playing 32.4 minutes per game.
Replacing Middleton in the lineup will not be easy as he isn’t the only Buck dealing with an injury. On Sunday it was announced that Pat Connaughton, a key member of their second unit, is going to be sidelined for about three weeks. Joe Ingles is still recovering from the ACL surgery that he underwent in January as well.
Depth was already a bit of an issue for Milwaukee when healthy, but now Mike Budenholzer will be tasked with piecing things together for a few weeks while missing multiple wing rotation players. Younger guys in Jordan Nwora and rookie MarJon Beauchamp will be given a chance to see if they can produce and become a part of the rotation moving forward.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Khris Middleton & Milwaukee Bucks Updates
The Bucks are notoriously cautious when it comes to injuries, so expect them to monitor minutes and playing time in the early going. However, Milwaukee has to be sure that they don’t fall too far behind the first few weeks of the season as the Eastern Conference is much improved heading into the 2022-23 season.
