The Bucks have been rolling along lately, winning nine of their last 11 despite Wednesday’s loss to Atlanta. They’ll now add longtime starter Khris Middleton to the mix.
Middleton will make his season debut at Boston on Friday, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. Middleton was medically cleared to return to action on Nov. 20 after undergoing surgery on both ankles during the offseason. At that time, Middleton didn’t feel quite ready to suit up and has since continued the rehab process.
Middleton, a three-time All-Star, has dealt with a myriad of health issues in recent seasons. He only appeared in 33 games two seasons ago and 55 regular-season contests last season.
In those last two seasons, Middleton has averaged 15.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 0.8 steals per game — all far cries from his numbers during his most recent All-Star season, 2021-22. He logged averages of 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.2 steals per night that season, with .443/.373/.890 shooting splits.
Middleton holds a $34M player option on his contract for next season and it’s hard to see him passing that up unless he shows he can recapture that All-Star form. The Bucks probably don’t need him to perform at that level, but he’ll boost their depth at the wing position and will take some of the scoring burden off Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
In his absence, Taurean Prince has started at small forward and provided a steady three-point threat. Prince is averaging 9.0 points on 6.3 shot attempts per game, knocking down 55.6% of his long-range attempts.
It’ll be interesting to see what Doc Rivers does in terms of his lineup. Middleton came off the bench 14 times two seasons ago but has generally been a fixture in the lineup since he was acquired from Detroit in 2013.