In the minds of many, the reloaded Milwaukee Bucks are the favorites to win this season’s NBA championship. They boast perennial All-Star guard and future Hall of Famer Damian Lillard, as well as much of the core that won them the world title in 2021.
Although building chemistry with Lillard is a process, they do have a 4-2 record, and their very high potential is clear just two weeks into the regular season.
It seems perhaps the only thing that could stop them from making a run to at least the Eastern Conference Finals is injury, and unfortunately, star forward Khris Middleton is still not at 100 percent. He will not play on Wednesday when Milwaukee hosts the Detroit Pistons.
Last season, Middleton missed plenty of time due to knee soreness. He was also out for the first 20 games of the schedule after he had undergone wrist surgery during the previous offseason.
NBA INJURY NEWS: Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons Updates
Early in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Middleton sprained his MCL and was sidelined for the rest of the postseason. He could only watch as the defending world champs fell in seven games to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The 6-foot-7 forward is very important to the Bucks’ success, as he is adept at scoring from the mid-range area and has historically been a good 3-point shooter. During their 2021 title run, he came up big in crunch time of multiple big playoff games, and the threat of him as a scorer has made life a lot easier for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
NBA INJURY NEWS: Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons Updates
In five games so far this season, Middleton is averaging just 9.8 points in 18.6 minutes a game, and he’s shooting just 31.3 percent from 3-point range. It looks like the team is taking a conservative approach with him, especially this early in the season.
