Bucks' Doc Rivers gets painfully honest on Khris Middleton's health status

10/19/2024 06:45 PM

The Milwaukee Bucks got derailed by injuries last season, and the bad luck has followed them into the new campaign. All-Star forward Khris Middleton may miss more time after sitting out the Bucks’ preseason finale on Thursday night.

Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers left the door open for Middleton to play in Wednesday’s season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, via The Athletic’s Eric Nehm.

“Bucks coach Doc Rivers told reporters that Khris Middleton did not do anything more than the skill development work he has been doing at today's practice,” Nehm reported. “Rivers added there is still a chance
Middleton plays in the season opener on Wednesday, but he needs to play 5-on-5 first.”

Middleton has been bitten by the injury bug several times since the Bucks won the 2021 NBA championship. The Texas A&M alum sprained the MCL in his left knee in the first round of the ’22 playoffs, missing the entirety of Milwaukee’s series against the Boston Celtics. He then missed time in the following two regular seasons, culminating in last season’s playoffs, when he played through an ankle sprain as the hobbled Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers in the first round.

Will Middleton shake off the”injury-prone” label this season?

Khris Middleton could use a healthy year with Bucks

Middleton thinks that it’s unfair to blame him for “accidents,” via Nehm.

"I try not to read and look at that stuff, but yeah, the injury-prone stuff is frustrating because I feel like for the most part, it's just — I don't want to say freak accidents — but just accidents, man," Middleton said. "And I think when you say injury-prone, that goes to how you take care of your body.”

Middleton hasn’t played at least 70 games in a season since 2018-19, and durability typically wanes as athletes get older. However, the 33-year-old is confident that his injury luck will turn.

"And I take a lot of pride in taking care of my body since day one that I've been here. So, no, I don't think I'm injury-prone at all,” Middleton continued. “I've just had unfortunate incidents that have happened on the basketball court, which is a wrong place, bad time type of thing."

While the 6-foot-7, 232-pounder should be ready soon, Milwaukee can ill-afford for him to get hurt again.

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