According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton suffered a torn hamstring and will undergo a procedure to repair it. There is no timetable for his return, but Charania said that he might miss a “significant portion” of the upcoming season.
Khris Middleton, a 25-year-old wing who’s set to enter his fifth NBA season, showed vast improvement last year and looked to be a staple in Milwaukee’s young lineup. His 18.2 points per game were a career-high, and his 4.2 assists showed better playmaking skills than prior years. He was also a huge key in their floor spacing and finished the year with a 39.6 percent clip from three-point range.
After severely underperforming in 2015-16, the Milwaukee Bucks are looking to get back on track and, hopefully, make the playoff push that they’re capable of. Middleton is expected to be a member of their core for a while, and the Bucks inked him to a five-year deal for roughly $70 million last summer.
Just a couple of days ago, they gifted Giannis Antetokounmpo a four-year extension worth $100 million.
With Middleton down, some guys are going to have to step up to fill the void he left on offense. Jabari Parker and Michael Carter-Williams will be looked at immediately and will have many opportunities to show if they can compete at a high level. Greg Monroe is another guy who’ll be looked at in the offense, and if he puts up resounding numbers, the Bucks will be able to sell him high on the trading block.
No matter what way you cut it, the Bucks are going to struggle without their leading scorer. If he stays sidelined for most of the season as Charania says, they’ll have to wait another year or so to make some noise in the playoff race.
Data courtesy of Basketball-Reference
