The surging Milwaukee Bucks (11-10) have quickly turned their season around after a harrowing start. They look to capitalize on their recent streak, and even more help is coming. Three-time NBA All-Star and 2021 NBA Champion Khris Middleton is set to make his season debut Friday versus the Boston Celtics.
Middleton has missed the first 21 games of the Bucks season but appears ready to return and help a team that has suddenly found its stride.
The longtime Buck is familiar with starting a season late. He missed the first 20 games of the ’22-’23 season and made his debut in early December. However, he faced an early setback and went back on the mend after just seven games. Middleton didn’t look like himself at all that year but played well in a first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat.
Last season, Middleton entered the year healthy but was on a heavy minutes restriction. Middleton was playing less than 20 minutes per game for the first month of the year. He hit a groove after that.
From December on, Middleton averaged 16.3 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 4.9 RPG with .504/.400/.852 shooting splits on 29.5 MPG. In their lone playoff series against Indiana, Middleton averaged 24.7 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 4.7 APG.
The Bucks lost on Wednesday to the Atlanta Hawks by a score of 119-104. It snapped a seven-game winning streak for Milwaukee. It was also the Bucks’ first home loss in nearly a month (Nov. 10 vs. Celtics). Giannis Antetokounmpo has found himself in the MVP conversation, and Damian Lillard’s numbers are up across the board from last year.
HC Doc Rivers is pulling all the right strings during the recent stretch. Youngsters Andre Jackson Jr. and A.J. Green have provided a nice boost, while offseason signing Gary Trent Jr. is finally beginning to establish himself in the rotation.
Adding Middleton to this group gives the Bucks another scoring threat who is an adept playmaker. Middleton can attack the mid-range unlike any other player on Milwaukee’s roster. He’s always had an excellent rapport in the pick-and-roll with Antetokounmpo.
The Eastern Conference is wide open outside of the top two seeds. Milwaukee is just two games back in the loss column from the 3-seed Orlando Magic. Despite the Bucks’ slow start, they could still earn a top seed for the playoffs. They’re finding their rhythm and getting healthy at just the right time.
