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Khris Middleton ready to handle a full workload in NBA Playoffs

Khris Middleton plans to take on a full workload during the post-season.
Matthew Dugandzic|
© Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

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Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks’ All-Star wingman Khris Middleton declared himself ready for the grind of NBA Playoff basketball after suffering a knee injury right before the regular season ended. Luckily, the long wait for Game 1 afforded the veteran two-guard precious time to heal and rehab his body back to full strength.

Get his body right

Middleton suffered the right knee injury during an April 5 game against the Chicago Bulls. He only played 9 minutes in that game before getting shut down for good. He then missed the last two games of the regular season and took the week-long wait for Game 1 to rehab and strengthen his troublesome knee.

“It took about two days to kind of get it to go away and get back to being myself,” Middleton said. “Doing a little bit more rehab this past couple days. The long break, I think, has been great for everybody to freshen up, and that’s exactly what I tried to do, take advantage of this time to get my body right.”

Getting back in rhythm

Middleton played in only 33 games this season, averaging just 24 minutes per game, as he recovered from wrist surgery in the off-season. His minutes slowly ramped up until he finally rejoined the starting lineup on March 7. Between that stretch and his injury against Chicago, Middleton began playing his regular share of minutes and produced stellar numbers of 19.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and seven assists per game on more than 30 minutes of playing time.

“That’s exactly what it was, getting back to some type of normalcy,” Middleton said. “Playing those minutes, being in the starting lineup, playing with a lot of those main guys out there, I felt like I’d been doing it for years. I’d been saying it, my body was feeling great for a while up to that point so it wasn’t a huge a confidence reach. It was a little bit to say, OK, yeah, I could still do this, but I felt more like myself again in that role and in those minutes.”

Ready to play as many minutes as possible

In Game 1 of the first-round series against the Miami Heat, Middleton lived up to his word and played 33 minutes. He finished the 130-117 loss with 33 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.

“Yeah. I mean, look, if you need to be playing all these minutes – hopefully we won’t – I think that’s what the playoffs are for,” Middleton added. “You gotta be ready for any type of circumstances, playing any type, amount of minutes. If need be (and) I’d have to play 55 minutes, hopefully I’ll be out there and be able to do it.”

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.