Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton underwent surgery on his left wrist earlier this month, according to ESPN reports. It is not clear when the injury occurred, nor is there a definitive timeline for his recovery, but he is expected to return around the start of the regular season.
This is the second major injury for Middleton in the span of a few months. During the team’s first-round series against the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs last season, Middleton slipped and suffered a sprained MCL in his knee. He did not play again in the postseason. His absence was a major factor in the team’s second-round loss to the Boston Celtics, which ended their title defense.
The good news is that this issue arose during the offseason, and Middleton isn’t expected to miss any significant time in the regular season — if he misses any games at all. In addition, the surgery is on his non-shooting arm, and the Bucks have one of the most cohesive units in the league, which means Middleton missing training camp won’t be that big of a deal.
Still, it’s not ideal that Middleton has suffered another serious injury and will once again be unable to have a normal offseason. Between the Bucks’ championship run, the Olympics, and the condensed schedule, Middleton barely had any time off last summer. Now, he’ll have to spend this summer rehabbing.
But despite this setback, Middleton and the Bucks project to be contenders yet again next season. The 30-year-old is coming off his third All-Star appearance and put up 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game last season, while shooting 37.3 percent from 3-point land.
Alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, he forms one of the best “big threes” in the league, and the Bucks were 38-11 between the regular season and playoffs when all of them were in the lineup.
