Apr 2, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton (22) and head coach Doc Rivers look on during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Bucks' Doc Rivers Reveals When Khris Middleton Will Return

Originally posted on Milwaukee Bucks on SI
By Alex Kirschenbaum | Last updated Nov 22, 2024 3:00 PM ET

Former three-time All-Star Milwaukee Bucks small forward Khris Middleton has proven his value through his absence thus far in this young 2024-25 season.

Milwaukee has slipped out of the gate, getting off to a miserable 2-8 start before a recent 4-1 run sort of righted the ship, or at least stabilized it. The Bucks are now 6-9 on the year, and looking to build on that record with an NBA Cup home clash Friday night against the team that bumped them from the playoff picture last month, the 6-9 Indiana Pacers.

The Bucks' big three of All-NBA power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, All-Star point guard Damian Lillard, and Middleton has appeared in just 42 of a possible 96 games together since Lillard was acquired in the 2023 offseason. Milwaukee has gone 28-14 in those 42 games, good for a 55-win season across a full 82-game slate.

Middleton has been medically cleared to play for more than a month, as Shams Charania of ESPN recently reported. The 6-foot-7 Texas A&M swingman has been partaking in 3-on-3 workouts for weeks. He apparently is still not yet comfortable with his body.

Katie George of ESPN revealed in the Bucks' eventual 122-106 victory on Wednesday that head coach Doc Rivers expects Middleton to make his season debut for the club at some point next week — with a caveat.

According to Katie George of ESPN, during the #Bucks v. #Bulls game last night, Doc Rivers said he expects Khris Middleton to be available next week.

He did hedge the news by saying it's still up to Middleton, but it could be a positive sign in the former All-Stars' recovery. pic.twitter.com/uqdgzNLDq1
— Jackson Gross (@JGrossBucks) November 21, 2024

“Doc Rivers told us he expects Middleton to be available next week,” George said. “But he hedged by saying it’s ultimately up to Middleton and how his body feels. They [the Bucks] want him to feel his best before bringing him back.”

Pre-game, Rivers indicated that Middleton has looked markedly improved of late as he continues to recuperate.

“He’s looked good,” Rivers said, per Charania. “He’s working his butt off. Listen, I think he’s close. And he’s just going to keep working. This is the best I’ve seen him, I will say that.”

In the Eastern Conference, only four teams boast records better than .500. So the fact that the Bucks are not quite at that level, without their third- or fourth-best player (depending on how you rank aging 3-and-D center Brook Lopez), is forgivable in the NBA's junior varsity bracket. But surely Milwaukee could use the 15.1 points on .493/.381/.833 shooting splits, , 5.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 0.9 steals a night that Middleton averaged last season. Taurean Prince has been starting in his absence, but he's not the scorer Middleton is, even in the 33-year-olds post-prime form.

More Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo Traded to West Superteam in New Blockbuster Proposal

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Bucks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: