Khris Middleton, coming off a summer with Team USA, has quietly continued his All-Star level play this season — an efficient 18.5 points per game, shooting 39.3 percent from three but also finishing well at the rim, and the Bucks offense is 3.3 points per 100 possessions better when he is on the court.
However, he’s not going to be on the court for a few weeks due to a deep thigh bruise, a story broken by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton is expected to miss several weeks with a left leg injury, but no serious damage in the leg, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 11, 2019
Khris Middleton will miss 3-to-4 weeks with a left thigh contusion, per league sources. https://t.co/vyu3vKjOq0
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 11, 2019
In the third quarter of the Bucks win over the Thunder Sunday, Middleton suffered the thigh bruise, which sent him to the locker room. While he returned to the bench, he did not return to the game. Afterward, in the locker room, Middleton didn’t seem to think it was that serious.
Middleton: "Just got kneed in my quad. Tried to run it off for a second. Tried to come back here (the locker room), get it stretched out and I just couldn't do it."
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) November 11, 2019
When I asked if he thought he'd be out long, he said no and that he was hopeful to be good to go in a couple days.
It turned out to be a little more than that, it has to be a deep bruise to have him out for up to a month.
Kyle Korver would be next in line to get those minutes, but he sat out Sunday with a “head contusion.” Behind him look for smaller lineups with Pat Connaughton, Donte DiVincenzo, Sterling Brown, and Wesley Matthews to get more minutes, plus maybe a little Thanasis Antetokounmpo.