Bucks’ Khris Middleton makes stunning admission about rehab from surgeries
After spending the last several months recovering from offseason surgeries on both ankles, former All-Star forward Khris Middleton made his long-awaited season debut on Friday against the Boston Celtics.
In the 111-105 loss, Middleton scored 11 points on 2-of-10 shooting with five assists, three rebounds, two steals, and one block in 23 minutes. Before the contest, the 33-year-old discussed the mental hurdles he overcame to return to the court.
“I think this one was definitely the hardest for me, just because I had two surgeries,” Middleton said after Milwaukee’s pregame shootaround Friday morning via ESPN. “I was trying to be balanced on both feet, and not compensate for anything because that could lead to another issue.
“So I would say this was definitely the hardest thing to come back from, to just mentally, physically feel fine, feel fit, feel ready, feel confident in everything I have to do out there.”
His return brings back much-needed offensive production that he previously showcased in the first-round playoff series loss against the Indiana Pacers in last year’s playoffs, where he averaged 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists.
Last season, he averaged 15.1 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 49.3 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent from beyond the arc.
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Since a slow start to the season, the Bucks have steadily pushed their way up the Eastern Conference standings moving to the seventh spot, sitting only a game behind the Atlanta Hawks for the fifth position.
Despite losing their last two games, Milwaukee has been one of the league’s hottest teams, winning seven out of their previous 10 contests.
