In Milwaukee, all eyes have been on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard since the moment the Bucks surprised the NBA world and traded for the seven-time All-NBA point guard days before the start of the 2023-24 season. As they start their second season as teammates, people continue to discuss their chemistry and what they hope to unlock as they spend more time on the floor together.
But nearly every time Bucks coach Doc Rivers has received a question about their chemistry this preseason, he goes out of his way to remind people there is one more player on the roster whom people need to discuss in the same breath.
“We don’t talk about Dame, Giannis and Khris enough,” Rivers told The Athletic following a practice session at the team’s training camp in Irvine, Calif. “We should talk about all three more, not just two of them.”
When the Bucks won the franchise’s second title in 2021, they were built around their big three of Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
Going toe-to-toe against the Brooklyn Nets in the second round, Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Holiday all hit big shots in big moments. When Antetokounmpo went down with a left knee hyperextension in the Eastern Conference finals, Middleton took on a larger playmaking load and took over portions of both Games 5 and 6. On the biggest stage of them all, Middleton scored 40 points in Game 4 of the NBA Finals to help the Bucks get past the Phoenix Suns.
Since then, however, Middleton has suffered through a string of injuries at inopportune times.
In the first round of the 2022 playoffs against the Chicago Bulls, Middleton suffered a left knee MCL sprain and was forced to miss the entirety of the Bucks’ series against the Boston Celtics. That offseason, Middleton underwent surgery to repair his left wrist, which he injured at the end of the season. Recovery from that injury kept him out of the first 20 games of the 2022-23 season. Then, a right knee injury forced him to miss another 17 games, but while Middleton returned well before the playoffs, Antetokounmpo missed most of that year’s playoff series, and the Bucks were upset by the Miami Heat.
Shortly after the Heat series loss, Middleton underwent right knee surgery, and recovery forced him into a minutes restriction for last season’s first two months. In February 2024, Middleton suffered a left ankle sprain against the Suns. That forced him to miss 16 games before he returned to action in March. In the playoffs, Middleton averaged 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game against the Indiana Pacers, despite spraining his right ankle during the series. Without Antetokounmpo, a Lillard limited by injuries and Middleton playing through the injury, the Bucks fell in six games.
Now, three years removed from that championship, the Bucks are looking to capture the magic of that special season and lean into a new big three of Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Middleton. To be able to use that same blueprint, the Bucks will need all three players. That means Middleton will need to return to form after undergoing successful procedures on both ankles this past offseason.
On Saturday, Rivers told reporters he does not expect Middleton to play in the team’s third preseason game Monday against the Chicago Bulls but remains hopeful Middleton will play in the preseason finale Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks. Even if Middleton doesn’t play, Rivers expressed confidence that Middleton will be ready on opening night of the regular season against the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 23.
“I do,” Rivers said when asked if he thought Middleton would be able to play against the Sixers. “But I was hoping for an exhibition game, so I never say 100 percent to any of this because the guys — all of our guys — have to feel right.”
To this point, the Bucks have kept Middleton out of five-on-five activity, but Middleton is optimistic about what he will be able to do this season.
“Having a successful season out there is playing damn near 82 games,” Middleton told The Athletic during the Bucks’ training camp visit to UC-Irvine. “Understanding that there may be a couple games where you can’t go because you got kneed to the thigh or something like a bad ankle sprain, those types of things, you miss one or two games. But not playing only 60 games. Anything below 70, 75 games, no, I do not consider that a successful season for me.”
The 33-year-old forward only played in 55 games last season but found himself on pace to appear in 68 games before spraining his left ankle on a reckless closeout from Kevin Durant. And after having his minutes managed heavily at the start of the season, Middleton averaged 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 30.1 minutes per game while shooting 49.9 percent from the field and 40 percent from the 3-point line and played in 27 of the Bucks’ 31 games from Dec. 1 until Feb. 6, when he sprained his ankle.
Middleton will concede the undeniable reality of the games he has missed over the two-plus seasons and the injuries that have kept him from playing, but he forcefully refuted the notion that he should be considered a larger injury risk than any other player and does not appreciate those who want to label him “injury-prone.”
“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.
“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. I’ve just had unfortunate incidents that have happened on the basketball court, which is a wrong place, bad time type of thing.”
While Middleton believes this can be a healthy and successful season, he understands he is going to face questions about his usage and playing time. Dealing with injuries each of the last two regular seasons has been frustrating for Middleton, but it has taught him a few lessons about his body as well as the keys to putting together a strong plan for working with the team’s training staff and front office to make sure he stays on the floor.
“I think it’s more just focusing on what I can control,” Middleton said. “And one way is knowing my limits, knowing what a hard day will feel like the next day. Knowing if I rush myself back, what that feels like because I’ve done that before. So just knowing when is the right amount to play continuously, so I won’t have to play the in-and-out game because the in-and-out game means you’re not ready.
“For me, it’s going out there playing and playing when I know I’m ready to play consistent minutes and it’s a ramp-up. It’s not up, down, up, down. Because I feel like that ruins the team chemistry, that ruins my word about how I feel and what I’m doing and the trust, the trust factor if these guys can count on me. So that’s kind of the approach I take with the ramp-up, with what the training staff says and what they want to do with me playing-wise.”
If Middleton is able to fulfill his goals, he will give people a reason to discuss the Bucks’ big three and how they work on the floor, just as Rivers has requested throughout the preseason.
Last season, the trio was wildly successful, outscoring opponents by 17.5 points per 100 possessions when they shared the floor, but they only played 758 minutes together, according to NBA.com. Because of that limited time, especially under Rivers in the second half of the season, Rivers said he believed there were too many moments when the Bucks were not properly spacing on offense.
In Middleton’s opinion, that occurred because they didn’t know one another’s games well enough and hadn’t spent enough time together.
“It’s more just knowing spots on the floor that need to be filled and knowing that anybody can be in those spots, not just one specific guy,” Middleton said. “I think last year we ran into problems with guys who were trying to run to the same spot because that’s what they’re used to and accustomed to.
“And that happens. It’s natural. It’s human tendency. This year, we have to get in the habit of knowing no matter what, we have to have these five spots filled so that everything works organically around us and guys have room to operate and do what they need to do.”
While other contending teams in the Eastern Conference, such as the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers, are still in their ascendance, experiencing new successes for the first time and enjoying the fun of chasing their first championships since 1973 and 1983, respectively, five members of this Bucks roster have reached the game’s highest peak and earned NBA championship rings.
Rather than chasing down new goals and dreaming about what could someday happen, Middleton and the Bucks are trying to maintain excellence and do what they have already done. That quest is distinctly different from trying to win a title for the first time, but Middleton said there is still joy in their journey.
“It’s still fun, but I mean, it’s still a challenge,” Middleton said. “Every year is a different challenge. I think, after you win, you take that summer, you celebrate whatever, but you’re starting over the next year. So, I think Doc said it, it’s like you’re really not defending your championship because you’re starting from ground zero.
“I mean, you don’t get to wear that (championship) belt. You keep that trophy, but now there’s a new one. You have to go get that new one. So that’s the approach I think we all take year in and year out, especially after we won, is that we’re starting over. You have to start from step one and figure out how to get back to that finish line.”
The reality around the league, though, is that the Bucks’ journey is not nearly as exciting as the new up-and-coming teams. Those are the teams that made splashy offseason moves. Nor is their journey as exciting as the defending champion Boston Celtics trying to build a dynasty with back-to-back titles.
As the season gets underway, the Bucks are no one’s favorite to win the NBA title. In the recently conducted NBA GM survey, the Bucks were graded the fifth-most-likely East team to win the NBA Finals. While that might motivate some, Middleton does not care.
“I really could give two s—s about it,” Middleton said when asked other teams being viewed as better than the Bucks. “It doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t need motivation from outside sources or outside whatever. It comes from within. It comes from wanting to be the best player or the best team. So that stuff — expectations from the outside or outside noise — really doesn’t bother me. The only expectation that matters is inside our locker room.”
With that in mind, Middleton just plans to focus on himself and do as much as possible to help put the Bucks in a position to contend for a title. In the end, the goal for the season is pretty simple.
“I’m going to have one of the best years that I can,” Middleton said. “A consistent year. I want to play in many games.
“To me, it’s simple. Just be the best version of myself I can be. If that means I’m scoring 10 points and we’re winning every single game, that’s a great year for me. Whatever it takes to win. To me, that’s a great season. I learned early in my career, we win, everything takes care of itself.”
(Photo of Khris Middleton: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)
