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The optimism on Khris Middleton's potential return in the Milwaukee Bucks-Boston Celtics series has now turned to pessimism as he continues to recover from his left knee injury.
Middleton has been out since midway through the first round of the 2022 playoffs after he suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain. While there was some hope he'd be available at some point in the second round against the Celtics, that hasn't really been the case.
Now, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (via Real GM), Middleton hasn't progressed in his recovery as the Bucks expected. In fact, there are even fears he won't be 100 percent ready even if Milwaukee reaches the Eastern Conference Finals:
“Earlier this week, the folks I was talking to were giving me some optimism about Middleton playing this weekend, but that has not happened. That has not developed,” Windhorst said. “And now I would say there's pessimism about Sunday, and frankly, I have been told that even if the Bucks advance to the conference finals, there'd be pessimism he'd be ready to start.”
The Bucks have played well even in the absence of Khris Middleton. However, during their close losses against Boston, one couldn't help but imagine what would have been the result if Milwaukee had its second-best player behind Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Middleton has saved the Bucks multiple times both in the regular season and the playoffs, and his absence remains a huge blow to their offense. Giannis can only do so much carrying Milwaukee's offense alone.
With Game 7 coming up, it would have been the perfect time for Middleton to make his return. Unfortunately, by the looks of it, The Greek Freak will be the lone star for his team again when they visit TD Garden on Sunday for the do-or-die showdown.
