The Milwaukee Bucks power forward Khris Middleton underwent successful surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist earlier in July. According to ESPN NBA reporters Tim Bontemps and Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bucks expect to have their second-leading scorer back around the start of the next regular season.

Middleton missed the team's final 10 playoff games due to a sprained MCL he suffered in Game 2 of the opening round against the Chicago Bulls. The wrist issue was something found after the fact. The Bucks would go on to lose in the second round in seven games to the Boston Celtics. In that series, the Bucks struggled offensively, with much of the attention being focused on Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Celtics boasted the league's best defense last season, and it showed. They held the Bucks superstar to career-low efficiency numbers. Despite that, the Bucks almost won the series.

With Middleton likely healthy next season, Milwaukee will look to get back to the NBA Finals. The Eastern Conference however has got much better in the last couple of seasons, so it won't be easy. The Miami Heat were the top seed and an elite defensive team themselves. The Philadelphia 76ers are led by arguably a top-three player in Joel Embiid. Then there's the Celtics, who have loaded up after losing the NBA Finals. They traded for Malcolm Brogdon, filling a huge hole at point guard. Then they signed Danilo Gallinari to be their fourth man off the bench.

But the Bucks core should be in tact next season. That will place them among the favorites to win a title next season.