Impact of Khris Middleton’s leg injury on Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton is out for extended time. How will that affect the rest of the team as the season continues?

Although the Milwaukee Bucks are off to a hot 7-3 start, news hasn’t been all good for the team that won more games than anyone else in the league last season.

The team announced Monday that forward Khris Middleton is expected to miss three to four weeks with a left thigh contusion. This injury occurred in Milwaukee’s 121-119 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.

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This is a big blow to a Bucks team with aspirations of grabbing the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed, but getting Middleton back well before Christmas is a huge plus.

A first-time All-Star last season, the former Texas A&M Aggie averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. While those numbers haven’t changed much 10 games into the 2019-20 season, Middleton’s efficiency has. Before his injury, the 28-year-old was shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from deep and 88.6 percent at the free throw line.

In addition to providing a steady hand on the offensive end, Middleton is a reliable defender and takes some of the pressure off Giannis Antetokounmpo. Simply put, it isn’t going to be easy for coach Mike Budenholzer to fill the void left by his second-best player. He does have a couple of things working in his favor, though.

First and foremost, Milwaukee’s schedule for the next month or so isn’t anything to write home about. Contests against the Chicago Bulls (twice), Atlanta Hawks (twice), Detroit Pistons (twice), Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks make for a manageable slate without Middleton.

Injuries are never ideal, but the timing of this one couldn’t be much better for the Bucks.

Who will step into Middleton’s role while he’s out? That question remains unanswered. Milwaukee is guard-heavy and doesn’t possess a ton of talent that could pull off playing small forward. The NBA is as positionless as ever, though, and the rim protection provided by Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez will help a lot.

At 6-foot-5, Sterling Brown is a stout defender and has played an estimated 70 percent of his minutes at the 3 spot this year. Budenholzer could roll with him and see what the fourth-year man can do. He also has another option.

If the Milwaukee Bucks want to put a big lineup on the court, they can shift Antetokounmpo to the small forward position and allow both Ersan Ilyasova and D.J. Wilson to see additional playing time.

Manufacturing production on both ends will be a challenge, although one positive to take away from this situation is that the team will have a clearer picture of what its depth can bring to the table.

Then, of course, there’s always Kyle Korver. The veteran sharpshooting wing hasn’t started a game since the 2017-18 season but if the Bucks need him to, he likely wouldn’t have any issue accepting a larger role for a few games.

This would be the biggest defensive sacrifice among the aforementioned choices, but it would also provide a ton of floor spacing and a seamless transition shooting-wise from Middleton to his replacement.

No NBA team ever wants to lose any of its players. Seeing a star player go down with an injury is unfortunate, but championship teams live and die with their depth. If the Milwaukee Bucks are true contenders, they’ll be able to withstand the loss of Khris Middleton and continue to win games during a pretty soft stretch of opponents.

Having the 2018-19 MVP certainly helps. At the end of the day, Milwaukee should be just fine.