Khris Middleton will not be available for Wednesday's home game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Detroit Pistons at Fiserv Forum. The franchise has officially ruled the American forward out for tonight's game, as they continue to manage his minutes following a right knee surgery he had in the offseason.
Milwaukee will keep Middleton out for this one as they don't want to overload him so early in the season. Last season, Middleton missed games with injuries to his wrist and knee and the Bucks want to avoid recurring injuries this year.
The 2021 NBA champion has appeared in five of the Bucks' first six games, averaging 9.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 3.4 apg, on 46.2 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three, while spending 18.6 minutes on the floor.
After sitting out Wednesday's game against the Pistons, the All-Star forward should be good to go for Thursday's road game versus the Indiana Pacers.
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Khris Middleton excited about closing out games for the Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are monitoring Khris Middleton's minutes early in the season and want to start giving him more playing time without overloading him. Against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, Middleton played more than 20 minutes for a second time this year and was also part of the lineup that closed out the game.
After the game, he spoke to reporters:
"Feels great just to be out there, winning time, when the game's on the line. That's what every ballplayer wants to do."
Giannis Antetokounmpo was happy to see his teammate get more minutes in the fourth quarter and help the Bucks secure an important road win over the Nets (129-125).
"He’s getting more comfortable, more comfortable. We’re going to need him to be aggressive. We’re going to need him to be Khris. Tonight was an example of his greatness," Antetokounmpo said to the media, via Wisconsin Sports Heroics.
With the arrival of megastar Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton has become the third option in offense for the Bucks, behind Antetokounmpo and Lillard. Still, the franchise views him as a cornerstone of their effort to return to the top.
However, they want him to be at 100% before he plays heavy minutes. Once he is ready, Milwaukee's Big Three will be in full force.
So far, the Bucks have won four of their first six games and are third in the East, trailing the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, who have identical records (5-1).
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