With the new NBA season coming down the line next week, the Milwaukee Bucks are gearing up for a strong season. They were bounced out in the first round of the postseason last year but injures played a massive part in them falling to the Indiana Pacers. Now, the Bucks are ready to show who they are as a team and they want to reclaim their spot in the Eastern Conference. They still have multiple star players on the team, including Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

With the two stars, Milwaukee feels like they can contend for the NBA title. But it’s the other players around them who will determine the outcome of the season. One of them is Khris Middleton, who is a star in his own right. Middleton has been among the better forwards in the NBA over the past few seasons but is dealing with an injury to start the year. It’s become almost common practice for Middleton but he isn’t going with the narrative of himself being injury-prone. In fact, he pushed back on it, calling his injuries accidents

“I feel like for the most part, it’s just — I don’t want to say freak accidents — but just accidents, man. And I think when you say injury-prone, that goes to how you take care of your body. And I take a lot of pride in taking care of my body since day one that I’ve been here. So, no, I don’t think I’m injury-prone at all. I’ve just had unfortunate incidents that have happened on the basketball court, which is a wrong place, bad time type of thing.” Regardless of what they are, Middleton will be a key piece to the puzzle for the Bucks this season. His ability to complement both stars gives Milwaukee a strong three-headed attack to go after any team inthe NBA

If Middleton can return healthy, the Bucks will be completely stocked for the season. Along with Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez, Milwaukee has a chance to compete this season.

They want to get back to the mountaintop after falling the past few years. This basic group won the NBA title in 2021, with the expect of Lillard. They know that they can win with this group but will need to execute to make it happen. This team should have a say in how the East shakes out this season but it all starts with the health of their main guys.