Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Khris Middleton is still “progressing,” but there’s no indication of when he might make his season debut, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). Speaking to reporters before Wednesday’s game, Rivers said there haven’t been any setbacks that are extending Middleton’s absence.
“He’s just progressing and going along,” Rivers said. “I mean, I don’t know what the return date was or that there was one set, so what we’re doing is getting him healthy so that when he’s ready to play, he’s ready to play.”
The 33-year-old swingman, who is recovering from offseason surgery on both ankles, was able to take part in a three-on-three scrimmage last week and the team is hoping to advance him to five-on-five. He would be a welcome addition to the lineup after Milwaukee’s 3-8 start, but Rivers said any decision on his availability will be made by team doctors.
“As I’ve jokingly said a million times, Doc’s a nickname. And I don’t really know,” he added. “I just check in with the medical team and they tell me the same stuff. He’s getting there. He’s getting closer. And basically, I relay the same stuff to you. I don’t get involved as I’ve told you many times. I just don’t think it’s a great place for a coach to be. … I check in with Khris and guys that are injured about how they’re feeling, more human stuff, because Khris wants to play. And he’s frustrated that he’s not … And that’s how it works for a coach, it’s more about the mental stuff, the mental health, than anything else.”
There’s more from Milwaukee:
- Ryan Rollins, who signed a two-way contract over the summer, made his first career start Tuesday night, per Jim Owczarski of The Journal-Sentinel. Rollins posted 12 points and five steals, but had to leave the game after reinjuring his bruised left shoulder. “That’s like the story of my life,” he said. “It’s always something. I mean, I can’t complain about it. I’m going to just keep working, keep getting better. It’s not really a serious injury, so I’ll be back next game anyways. It is always something for me, but I’ll always work through it regardless.”
- Damian Lillard will miss his second straight game tonight after being placed in concussion protocol, Owczarski adds in a separate story. Rivers said his star guard passed “most” of the return-to-play tests on Tuesday night, but woke up this morning with a headache.
- Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic believes Giannis Antetokounmpo should stay in Milwaukee, but he notes that his situation will provide the first real test of how superstars navigate the new apron rules.
I’m sure I read the return date-or approximate-was the 2nd to last preseason game. Then it was the final preseason game. Then he was slated to play the regular season opener. Then it was game 2. Then all the sudden he hadn’t even participated in 5 on 5 yet, and wouldn’t play til he did that. I’m no doctor either, but it’s really confusing trying to figure out how a guy can be progressing towards a return, when every update tells us he’s further away from actually doing so.
He’s still on track to play the in-season tournament though, which is what I predicted when he was ruled out of the final preseason game.
This is the last yr for this group.
So Giannis isn’t willing to accept the mocking quietly. 59/14/7 on 62/50/94 shooting. He’s made it clear that he’s not the problem for Milwaukee, like some haters (BBBreakdown’s Coach Mike, I’m looking directly at you) have claimed.