Bucks player tabbed with most to prove must do 1 thing to silence doubters

Plenty of Milwaukee Bucks have something to prove during the 2024-25 NBA campaign.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has to prove he can stay healthy. Damian Lillard has to prove that he can still be the top-75 player he once was. Doc Rivers must prove he's still got good coaching in him after his share of slip-ups over the years. Yet, per Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley, no Buck has more to prove this season than three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton.

After helping Milwaukee win it all in 2021 with a playoff run for the ages, Middleton has spent the past few years banged up, missing prominent time in pivotal moments. This coming season, he must prove that he can stay healthy as the Milwaukee Bucks aim to climb back to the top of the NBA mountain.

The Milwaukee Bucks need a healthy Khris Middleton

All Khris Middleton needs to do to silence his doubters is stay healthy. As he displayed in the playoffs, he's still got plenty of gas in the tank, having averaged 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists in six games versus the Indiana Pacers. He won't put up those numbers on the regular, but when he's on the court, he can still be the perfect third fiddle to Antetokounmpo and Lillard.

Of course, injuries can be a freak thing sometimes. When Middleton slipped on a wet spot in the 2022 NBA Playoffs and suffered a sprained MCL, it was absolutely a freakish injury that he couldn't control. He cannot be blamed for injuries like that. The Milwaukee Bucks just need a little luck on their side as they try to win another NBA title.

Middleton is not the lone Buck who has battled injury issues, as Giannis missed the entirety of the team's 2024 playoff run, and Lillard also limped through that series. All three need to be healthy for this team to win a title, but Middleton is the most amplified because he's been the most banged up.

After having offseason surgery on both ankles, Middleton is expected to be ready for the start of NBA training camp. Hopefully, this surgery is the last major one that Middleton needs, and he can finally put these recent injury woes behind him after playing just 88 regular season games in two seasons.

Middleton hears the outside noise, and he should be more than motivated to prove that he's ready to help the Milwaukee Bucks win in 2024-25.

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