When the Milwaukee Bucks begin training camp on Tuesday in Madison, Wis., they will do so without starting guard Khris Middleton. On Wednesday night, the team announced Middleton had suffered a torn left hamstring and will undergo surgery in the next week. He is expected to miss approximately six months.
Middleton, a 6-foot-8 guard who is entering his fifth season in the NBA and fourth with the Bucks, has been one of Milwaukee's most dependable players over the past three seasons, playing in 240 of 246 of the team's regular-season games since arriving via trade from the Detroit Pistons. He started all 79 games he appeared in last season, averaging a team-high 18.2 points per game while leading the Bucks with 143 3-pointers.
According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who first reported the news, Middleton suffered the injury during workouts on Tuesday.
"We're obviously disappointed for Khris and our team, but injuries are an unfortunate part of the game," Bucks general manager John Hammond said in a statement. "We'll rely on our overall roster depth to help us while Khris is out for a significant period of the season."
The 2016-17 season marks Middleton's second under the five-year, $70 million contract he signed with the Bucks last summer.
