Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton underwent two successful arthroscopic clean-up procedures to fix lingering issues this offseason, league sources tell The Athletic.
Shortly after the playoffs, Middleton underwent surgery on his left ankle to address an issue that plagued him throughout this past season. Per those sources, the procedure cleaned up some of the lingering damage that stemmed from the left ankle sprain Middleton suffered on Feb. 6 when he landed on Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant’s foot after attempting a jumper. Durant was assessed a flagrant 1 penalty for the closeout.
“I can’t think of an ankle sprain I’ve had this bad like this,” Middleton said on March 6. “I mean, after it happened, I tried to play, run it off a little bit, see if it was going to loosen up or whatever. Just didn’t. Didn’t feel comfortable.
“Went into the back, tried to get re-taped, and as soon as I took my shoe off, it just blew up. So, had to shut it down.”
In addition to that surgery, Middleton, 32, also needed a minor arthroscopic procedure to clean up a lingering issue in his right ankle. That surgery occurred in mid-June.
Middleton was walking without pain or discomfort when he visited his teammates in Las Vegas for summer league action Saturday afternoon. As far as a timeline for recovery, Middleton has already started light court work, league sources tell The Athletic, and he is expected to be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season.
The 12-year NBA veteran missed more than a month of action and 16 consecutive games with his left ankle injury before returning on March 17. Middleton played in 12 of the Bucks’ final 15 regular-season games with the three games he missed coming on back-to-backs where he was listed as out with left ankle injury management.
Despite the lingering left ankle issue, as well as a right ankle sprain he suffered in Game 2 of the series, Middleton performed well for the Bucks in the postseason, averaging 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 38.3 minutes in six games against the Indiana Pacers in the first round.
Middleton’s strong postseason included a 42-point Game 3 performance in which Middleton tried to will the Bucks to a victory without two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and with seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard limited in overtime, and a Game 5 win in which the Bucks became the first team in NBA history to win a playoff game without their two leading scorers from the regular season.
KHRIS MONEY MIDDLETON TIES IT! pic.twitter.com/o27gvnfFhs
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 27, 2024
For the season, though, Middleton averaged 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 27 minutes per game, playing only 55 games. The three-time All-Star spent the first month of the season on a strict minutes limit as he rounded back into form in his recovery from a right knee surgery in May 2023 shortly after the Bucks’ first-round loss to the Miami Heat.
This is another important offseason for the Bucks as head coach Doc Rivers attempts to figure out how to get the team back into the championship conversation after Milwaukee lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs for a second consecutive season with health playing a major role. Antetokounmpo missed the entire series against Indiana, and Lillard missed two games as well.
Middleton has two years remaining on the three-year, $102 million contract extension he signed with the Bucks last offseason, which includes a player option for the 2025-26 season.
(Photo by Gary Dineen / NBAE via Getty Images)
