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Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton continues to progress from offseason ankle surgeries, and he has taken the next step in his return-to-play process by recently completing a five-on-five scrimmage with the team on Monday in Miami, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
Middleton, who has been cleared medically to play, is still working his way back physically and wanting to make the maximum impact possible before returning to the court. The Bucks are hopeful that the veteran will be able to make his season debut in the week after Thanksgiving.
Being able to participate in 5-on-5 scrimmages was one of the final steps in Middleton's recovery process, as he will likely do so once more before letting head coach Doc Rivers and the team's medical staff know that he is ready to take the court in a real game.
Throughout the month of November, Middleton had been ramping up his individual activities, with the goal being to get back on the practice court in scrimmages with the team around the time of Thanksgiving, league sources told ClutchPoints. This goal has been achieved, and the Bucks now await further word as to when Middleton will be ready to make his season debut.
After dealing with ankle discomfort throughout the 2023-24 season, Middleton elected to undergo surgery on both ankles during the summer. While the expectation was that the three-time All-Star would be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season, Middleton suffered some setbacks due to the consistent discomfort he was still having.
While it took longer than anticipated, the Bucks should be getting Middleton back on the court in meaningful games with the holiday season approaching.
So far, the 2024-25 season has been a journey for the Bucks, to say the least. Milwaukee started the year with just two wins through their first 10 games, leading to the notion that all was falling apart for this organization. Since then, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard have led the Bucks to wins in six of their last seven games, including four straight.
In this span, Antetokounmpo has averaged 33.4 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game while shooting 60.8 percent from the floor. As a result, Giannis finds himself moving up the league's MVP rankings.
The Bucks still believe that they are a championship-contending team in the Eastern Conference, but Middleton has been their missing piece. He was critical to the team capturing their second title in team history during the 2020-21 season, and Milwaukee will once again need Middleton to step up next to the two superstars on this roster in order for the Bucks to have any shot at winning the East.
Further updates on Middleton's potential season debut will likely be given by the team at the end of the week.
