Bucks Guard Khris Middleton on the Road to Recovery from Ankle Surgery
The head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, Doc Rivers, announced on Monday that guard Khris Middleton will have limited participation in training camp due to recovering from surgery on both ankles during the offseason.
Middleton, who is 33 years old, will begin camp in Irvine, Calif. and will not participate in five-on-five work initially, according to Rivers.
\"He will be involved in camp,\" Rivers stated. \"However, we will not have him engage in a lot of live action due to his recent surgery. He will be on the court with us for all of our skeleton work, transition drills, defensive drills, and conditioning work.
\"He looks fantastic. He is currently in the gym working out as we speak. He had a great summer overall and is in great physical shape, which is something he hasn't been able to say for a while. We want to keep it that way.\".
It was revealed in July that Middleton, a three-time All-Star, had undergone arthroscopic surgery. He told reporters on Monday that he is feeling well. Middleton sprained his left ankle in a game in February and the right one in the Bucks' first-round playoff defeat against the Indiana Pacers.
\"After taking some time off, I realized that my ankles weren't healing as quickly as I had hoped,\" Middleton explained. \"I went to get them checked and it was determined that I needed surgery to prepare for the upcoming season.\"
He assured that he is feeling great and is ready for training camp and the season.
Last season, Middleton was only able to play in 55 regular-season games after appearing in just 33 games in 2022-23. He averaged 15.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 2023-24.
Throughout his 12 seasons, Middleton has career averages of 16.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals in 739 games (650 starts) with the Detroit Pistons (2012-13) and Bucks.
Middleton was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the second round (39th overall) in 2012. He was then traded to the Bucks in July 2013 and helped them win the NBA championship in 2020-21.
The Bucks will begin their 2024-25 season on October 23 on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers.