Milwaukee Bucks Have Depth To Overcome Khris Middleton Injury
The Milwaukee Bucks will miss Khris Middleton, but they have built enough depth to overcome his lengthy absence.
The Milwaukee Bucks suffered a big blow when it was announced starting shooting guard Khris Middleton injured his hamstring. Middleton sustained a torn hamstring during a preseason workout on Tuesday, and it was severe.
Middleton will have to undergo surgery next week and will be sidelined for at least six months.
Losing a player of Middleton’s caliber is not an easy thing to get over. Middleton is an integral part of what the Bucks are building. Along with Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Middleton is part of a trio that the Bucks are hoping brings the organization back to prominence.
This is the second time in the last three years that the Bucks will be without a prominent player for a majority of the season; Parker was injured his rookie season when he tore his ACL, playing in only 25 games.
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This time around, it is Middleton who will be sidelined as the best-case scenario has him returning in March.
It is disappointing that Middleton will miss such a large chunk of the season, as the Bucks are poised to make a move back up the Eastern Conference standings. It is a sentiment that Bucks general manager John Hammond relayed in a statement, saying:
"“We’re obviously disappointed for Khris and our team, but injuries are an unfortunate part of the game. We’ll rely on our overall roster depth to help us while Khris is out for a significant period of the season.”"
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Overall roster depth is what will save the Bucks. While there isn’t an individual player that can replace Middleton on his own, there is enough depth to make a solid group effort.
The Bucks came up short last season of expectations, finishing with a record of 33-49. Middleton played in and started 79 games, but if this injury had occurred last season the Bucks would have found themselves in the running for the No.1 overall pick.
Had Middleton not taken the court until March last season, the Bucks would have had to rely on players such as O.J. Mayo, Jerryd Bayless and rookie Rashad Vaughn. To put it nicely, there was not much of a backup plan for Middleton.
The Bucks were not counting on Middleton getting injured, but they made sure they were better prepared this time around should an injury happen.
The Bucks upgraded their backcourt in a big way in the offseason, bringing in a mixture of veterans and players with plenty of NBA playoff experience.
In free agency, the Bucks signed Matthew Dellavedova and Jason Terry to bring some leadership and experience to their backcourt. Both players have won NBA championships and have played in a combined 155 postseason games.
In addition to those veterans, the Bucks selected Malcolm Brogdon out of Virginia in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft. Vaughn is also a year older and ready to handle a bigger workload after appearing in 70 games as a rookie.
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Depending on the lineup combination that head coach Jason Kidd elects to use, the Bucks could also use Michael Carter-Williams at shooting guard; Carter-Williams does not possess the shooting ability that Middle has, but his size alone allows him to play off-ball in a pinch.
While Middleton brings a lot to the table for the Bucks, where they are going to miss him most is in his ability to stretch the floor. Last season Middleton shot 39.4 percent from the three-point line; only Bayless shot better at 43.7 percent.
They were the only two real threats from beyond the arc last season for the Bucks, so losing him would have crippled their offense even further from a spacing standpoint.
This season, that should not be a problem. The Bucks made a conscious effort to add more players capable of knocking down a perimeter jump shot and succeeded.
In addition to Terry and Dellavedova, 37.9 and 39.8 percent shooters respectively, the Bucks added Mirza Teletovic and re-signed Steve Novak; Teletovic is a 37.5 career shooter from deep, while Novak is a 43.1 percent shooter.
Brogdon can also shoot it from deep, as he made 39 percent of his three-point attempts as a senior and 36.5 percent in four years.
If Vaughn can regain his shooting touch from UNLV, when he made 38.5 percent, the Bucks will have more than enough shooting to make up for Middleton at multiple positions on the court.
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There is no denying that the Bucks will miss Middleton. He is a great shooter and is versatile enough to play multiple spots on the floor, giving Kidd many options. But, unlike last season, the Bucks have the depth to make up for his loss.
There are enough players in place that the Bucks should be able to tread water until he returns in March. At that point in the season, the Bucks will be getting a huge boost that could help propel them to a playoff spot.