The Milwaukee Bucks have been rolling along this season without Khris Middleton, who is currently dealing with a knee injury. He's played in just seven games in 2022-23, but it appears Giannis Antetokounmpo's co-star isn't far off finally returning.
Per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Middleton is heading to the Bucks' G-League team, the Wisconsin Herd, to get some playing time before suiting up for Milwaukee again. This is obviously huge news for Mike Budenholzer's squad, who have relied mostly on their defense. They rank 21st in points per game and desperately need Middleton back, a cold-blooded finisher and solid defender.
Middleton couldn't really get up to speed before going on the shelf again, averaging just 11.1 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.6 rebounds on 32% shooting from the field in his seven appearances. It will undoubtedly take him time to find that previous brilliance, but the sooner he's playing, the quicker he's putting up 20+ points per night.
The veteran was initially sidelined after undergoing off-season wrist surgery and then hurt the knee not long after recovering. Ever since the Bucks forward sprained his MCL in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, he's dealt with non-stop health problems. If Middleton stayed healthy, Milwaukee could've very well been in the NBA Finals again, too.
While this team is solid and has two stars in Giannis and Jrue Holiday, Middleton is just as important. As the Greek Freak said a couple of months ago, he's their “closer”. The Bucks play Toronto on Tuesday before three days off. There's a good chance he's back on the floor on the road against Cleveland on Saturday.
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