In news that many Milwaukee Bucks fans were hoping would not come, it was announced that the team would enter their 2024-25 NBA season opener short-handed.
ESPN insider Shams Charania has reported that Khris Middleton, who is rehabbing from duel ankle surgeries this offseason, would be sidelined for Milwaukee's regular season opener. After the forward missed the entire preseason, this should not be too surprising, but Doc Rivers initially provided some optimism that he would be ready to go. Now, that is not the case.
Of course, this is not how the often-injured Milwaukee Bucks wanted to start their season, but this is the hand they've been dealt. With Middleton sidelined for an undisclosed period of time, here are three players who must step up starting in their season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Bobby Portis
With anywhere between 15 to 20 points per game now out of the lineup, someone will have to pick up the scoring load alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Though Middleton's absence will almost certainly not elevate him into the starting five, Bobby Portis is still a player who can pick up the slack in the scoring department as a member of the second unit.
Portis is coming off an excellent preseason campaign with the Milwaukee Bucks, having averaged an impressive line of 16.3 points, four rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 75 percent from the floor and 81.8 percent from deep in just 16.3 minutes per game. If he can carry this hot hand over into the NBA regular season, it would be a huge lift for Milwaukee in Middleton's absence.
There was plenty of offseason chatter about the Milwaukee Bucks possibly trading Bobby Portis, but he now has an opportunity to show his importance right out of the gates.
Gary Trent Jr.
Almost guaranteed to be Milwaukee's starting shooting guard on opening night, Gary Trent Jr. is yet another player who will now shoulder more responsibility following these developments.
Offensively, Trent will now get more touches. The Bucks need him to provide reliable complementary scoring, and he can certainly do that. Over the past three-and-a-half years in Toronto, Trent averaged 16.4 points while knocking down 38 percent of his triples on seven attempts per contest. If that Trent comes to play for the Milwaukee Bucks, it would be a sizeable boost in Khris Middleton's absence.
Trent's importance on offense will go hand-in-hand with his play defensively. Even with Middleton in the lineup, the 25-year-old guard's defense was set to be a prominent X-factor for the Bucks, but now, he will have to perform on that end while also upping his scoring. It's a lot to ask of Trent, but he must embrace the next man up mentality.
Trent came to Milwaukee on a minimum contract to prove his worth with a championship contender, and there will now be a spotlight on him early in the season, something he will undoubtedly embrace. Since he got to Milwaukee, Trent has done nothing but express his desire to do whatever it takes to win games, and his importance in that regard has now increased mightily.
Taurean Prince
When the Milwaukee Bucks utilized their starters in the preseason, Taurean Prince was the player who filled in for Khris Middleton at the small forward spot; that will likely carry over into the regular season.
Although he doesn't bring the same scoring prowess as Middleton - having averaged 10.1 points for his NBA career - there is plenty to like about Prince's fit with the other starters. He's versatile on both sides of the ball, able to defend countless positions defensively while taking advantage of matchups on offense, spacing the floor with the three-ball while also attacking down low.
Prince won't be expected to up his scoring load mightily like Gary Trent Jr. or Bobby Portis, but he's going to play significant minutes in this stretch, especially in the season opener against a team with so many offensive weapons like Philadelphia. The Bucks desperately need his defense and 3-point shooting on the court without Middleton; this signing just got even more important.
At the time of this writing, it's unclear how long Khris Middleton will be out. For all we know, it could just be the opener. However, given Middleton's recent injury history and how cautious the team has been with him throughout camp and the preseason, it wouldn't be surprising if this was a slow ramp up process. In the meantime, these three Milwaukee Bucks must rise to the occasion.
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