Damian Lillard

The long wait is about to end for Bucks swingman Khris Middleton, who is expected to take the court tonight in Boston for the first time since last spring’s playoffs, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Speaking to reporters at Friday afternoon’s shootaround, Middleton said this was the most difficult rehab process of his career because he had to undergo surgery on both ankles. Balance became an issue because Middleton couldn’t risk favoring one ankle over the other, and he said it was challenging mentally to be out of action for so long.

“Just not trying to get into a dark tunnel,” he said about his approach to rehab. “Having as many surgeries as I have, coming back from this one, I wanted to make sure I was all the way ready to come back, be as fresh as I can mentally to be in a good spot because this is a long, grueling season. I’m going to go through a lot of things during the season, going to get hit, banged up, whatever, to have that mindset that I can still fight through and to keep going.”

Bontemps notes that tonight will mark just the 43rd time that Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard will play together since Lillard was acquired in a trade in September 2023 — and only the ninth time with Doc Rivers as their head coach. The trio has been extremely effective in its limited window, Bontemps adds, with the Bucks outscoring opponents by 22.6 points per 100 possessions with the three of them on the court at the same time under Rivers and by 17.5 points per 100 possessions overall.

Middleton is likely to be on a minutes restriction as he eases his way back into action, but he’s not sure what it will be. He added that his focus is seeing how his body reacts to live game action.

“That’s one of the things I’m nervous about, just to see how I feel when I get out there,” he said. “See if I’m going to be ready to throw up in a minute, but once I’m out there, I’ll be fine. If I’m going to shoot the ball over the rim, over the glass, whatever, just with the nerves and everything, adrenaline going. So I’m excited about it, see how it performs, see how it goes and just go from there.”

There’s more on the Bucks:

• Rivers has been saying for weeks that Middleton is close to returning, and he acknowledged that it was difficult for Middleton not to rush the final stages of his rehab process, per The Associated Press. “Anybody who wants to play, and Khris is one of those (guys), they’re frustrated,” Rivers said. “That’s mentally challenging. You see your team playing and although we’re playing well right now, I imagine when we were really struggling and he wasn’t playing that had to be really hard for him. You want to help your team, and he knows he can.”
• Lillard discussed the importance of psychological preparation as the Bucks got ready to host Atlanta Wednesday night following Tuesday’s game at Detroit, relays Lori Nickel of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I take it serious – mentally,” Lillard said. “You got to come in with no excuses and no crutches. You can’t come in thinking, ‘Oh, we had a back-to-back. We played last night, we’re tired.’ You do that, you start thinking like that, you’re beat.”
• Antetokounmpo talks to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports about his desire to capture another MVP award. Antetokounmpo won in both 2019 and 2020 and would join an elite group of players by picking up a third trophy. “I do want to be part of that conversation,” he said. “It lets me know I was able to help my team, carry my team, solidified [us as a team]. I’m not gonna lie, it definitely means something to me.”

The Bucks lost their fourth straight game on Thursday night in dispiriting fashion. Facing a Memphis team playing on the second of a back-to-back with six players sidelined, including starters Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart, the Bucks — who had two days off and a practice leading into contest — struggled once again to make outside shots and to get back for transition defense following those misfires, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was one of the few bright spots for the Bucks, finishing with 37 points (on 17-of-22 shooting), 11 rebounds and four assists. The Bucks were even with Memphis during Antetokounmpo’s 34 minutes, and were outscored by 24 points in the 14 minutes he didn’t play. He said the early-season struggles have been “frustrating.”

“Losing, it’s frustrating,” Antetokounmpo said. “But we are doing the right things. Like (Wednesday) night we arrived in Memphis and we came together as a team, watched film. Not as eight, nine guys that play. We watched film, we talk about, like what can we do better? What we’re not doing as good, let’s keep one another accountable. We’re doing the right thing.

“Coming (Thursday) in shootaround and talking about it, talking about our offense, talking about our defense. Everybody is doing the right thing. I see it in everybody’s eyes. They’re willing to do the right thing to win games and sometimes it’s not going to go your way.

“This is part of the season it’s not going our way. But, losing two, losing three, losing four, losing five, losing six in row; losing one, it’s always frustrating. But, again, my dad used to say, ‘Why do (you) whine if you’re not going to give up?’ So I’m not going to give up.”

Here’s more on the Bucks:

• Damian Lillard will be looking to move past a woeful night in Memphis, Owczarski notes, as the star point guard finished with just four points (tied for a career low) on 1-of-12 shooting. He was also repeatedly targeted by the Grizzlies on defense, tweets NBA analyst Zach Lowe. Lillard said he’s still trying to figure out how to make his mark in his second season with Milwaukee. “It’s hard, because I mean my entire career I’ve always been somebody who, like, if I can do one thing I can take over. I can take over a game,” Lillard said, per Owczarski. “I think I’ve joined a new team and my situation is different and I understand that it’s different, so I have to try to find a way to not just go back to what I’ve always done because it’s probably not always necessary. Or probably not necessary at all. So I think that’s probably the most difficult part is when things seem like it’s getting out of control or the going is getting tough, I’m able to put my hands on it a little bit more. I think just not really being in that role is a little bit more difficult. It’s more of a process to figure out for me.”
• According to Owczarski, while head coach Doc Rivers was pleased with the team’s “spirit,” he was not happy with the transition or perimeter defense, with Ja Morant (26 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists) proving to be a major problem. “… The defensive transition was still awful tonight,” Rivers said as part of a larger quote. “And, so that’s on me. Like, everything’s on me until we get it right. We’ve got to fix this.”
• Although he has yet to play 5-on-5, which Rivers has said is necessary before he can make his 2024/25 debut, veteran wing Khris Middleton told Eric Nehm of The Athletic he hasn’t experienced any injury setbacks following offseason surgeries on both ankles. “I feel good, just not good enough to play that’s all,” Middleton said. “That’s really all I can say at this point. And just working to get back on the court. I’m feeling better and better each day just not good enough to play yet.“
• Lowe (Twitter links) and Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports are among the analysts raising red flags following Milwaukee’s poor start, though both acknowledge it’s still very early, with plenty of time for the Bucks to turn things around.