MEMPHIS, Tenn. – For the first time this season, three-time All-Star Khris Middleton spoke to reporters during a brief session in the visitors' locker room at the FedEx Forum.

Middleton has been a regular on the team this season, completing workouts at the end of various shootouts and drills, but the 13-year NBA veteran has not played a single game during the 2024-25 season. During training camp in Irvine, California, Middleton said The athlete that he would like to play in at least 70 games this season after playing a total of 88 games in the last two regular seasons.

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“To have a successful season, you have to play almost 82 games,” Middleton said. “If you know that there might be a few games where you can't play because you twisted your hamstring or because you sprained your ankle badly, then you're going to miss a game or two.” But don't just play 60 games. Anything under 70, 75 games, no, I don’t think that’s a successful season for me.”

During his pregame availability, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers again declined to provide an estimate of the timeline for Middleton's return to the field. Despite his positive pre-season appearance, Middleton's name has not disappeared from the injury report and the 33-year-old winger has not taken part in the five-on-five sessions required to clear him for the game.

Here is the conversation.

Where are you physically?

I feel good, but not good enough to play, that's all. That's really all I can say at this point. And I'm just working on getting back on the court. I'm getting better every day, but I'm not good enough to play yet.

How does this process work? How much of this involves telling the training staff how you feel and working with them?

I think this applies not just to me, but to any athlete who goes through any type of injury. Even you go to the doctor. It's the same. We know our bodies best. I mean, we have the time frames of what things should look like, how things should go, and at the same time you have to know how your body is doing and know where your body is at that stage through those processes. It's always been that way. Like I said, I'm actually trending in the right direction every day, but I haven't managed to get good enough to go out and play yet.

Three-time All-Star Khris Middleton has yet to play this season. (Kamil Krzaczynski/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Is some of the time it takes to get back on the floor preoccupied with the difference between moving around on the court and actually pounding while playing NBA basketball?

It's definitely part of it. With an injury to the lower extremities, you have to get used to pounding, you have to regain freedom of movement and strength. So it all goes hand in hand. This was part of my rehab process: strength, range of motion and conditioning to ensure my legs were as strong and stable as possible. For some of us it is a long process.

During our training camp conversation, you told me that the goal is to continue to increase the number of minutes. So is there a certain number of minutes you want to start with for your first gig? Does this affect when ramp-up begins?

If you ask any athlete they will say they want to play as much as possible, but at the end of the day we have to listen to our training team and coaching staff. We have no control over our minutes. So I can go out and say I want to play for 40 minutes and they'll say no, we'll play you for five minutes. I mean, it's largely up to them and I just have to listen, be coachable and be a respectful team member because they have a plan for the team and for me too.

They had to step it up a few times. Is it easier since you've done it before and made it to the playoffs to play complete games?

Yes. Of course you won't like it. Of course I saw that it worked. But I mean, no player wants to go through that. So hopefully when I come back I can prove that I don't have to do that program or that plan, but at the end of the day it's up to them and how they see me playing.

You have suffered a number of knee injuries throughout your career. Was the process completely different since this situation involves knuckles?

It's really the same process. First, these people make sure everything heals properly. The range of motion and strength are then determined and then trained. It's a daily, multiple-times-daily process. So you know it's part of it. You have to trick yourself into saying you love getting through, and that's exactly where I'm at – trying to get through so I can be out there with the guys. I trust them. They were patient with me, the team and the organization were patient with me and understood that we all want me to be as healthy as possible. And because I'm following the plan that I have right now, they let me do that and encourage me to do that.

How much harder was it to be on the sidelines after a 1-3 start?

You can't get too high, you can't get too low. We think we lost some games that we managed to win, but I think the most important thing about ourselves is that we learn something about ourselves. We learn what we are missing. We learn what we need. We learn what we do well. And I think it just brings us closer together as a unit. Talk, work together and make sure we all hold each other accountable when we see things out there now. That's why I think it's great to push through adversity at any point in the season. We don't want to end up going through that. It's not something you really want to go through, but at some point you have to do it to be a great team.

It has been four months since surgery on one of your ankles and five months since surgery on the other. To be clear: the surgeries were successful and you are cured?

Yes.

So there hasn't been a situation recently where something went wrong and there was a setback?

There were no setbacks, no worrying things that made me want to take a few days off or whatever. There's just every day, every day trying to take the next step without blowing the thing up and doing it smartly. Just for myself, for the team, for everything, in the long run, for the health of my career.

It must be encouraging that there have been no setbacks, even if you're not back yet…

Yes. Naturally. Definitely. You don't want to suffer that (a setback), so I'm happy with where I'm at. I'm frustrated that I'm not playing yet, but I'm happy with where I'm at. Every day when I go home, when I lie down in the evening, I feel like I've had a great day. I've improved somehow, which I'm happy about. I have to figure out how to get the little victory day by day and that's all I've tried.

You said at media day that one injury occurred in February when you landed on Kevin Durant's foot and the other occurred during the Pacers series. Do you feel like you have a new body physically? Do you feel just as healthy?

Yes, I've been through a lot. I can say that I feel great. I feel like my body is in a great place overall and with these last few procedures I'm just trying to make sure I get both ankles back to where everything else felt after my procedures. I feel like I'm on the right track and I just need to continue to be patient and listen to my body.

After having surgery on both ankles, how did you initially try to do cardio?

So we alternated them at the beginning, but yeah, I couldn't really put any weight on anything until they were both off of it. So that's how it was, so I couldn't do any conditioning exercises until I could do weight bearing on both feet, but that was a long time ago in the summer.

Doc Rivers told us that you were able to do all the grunt work during training camp and preseason. So where are you on offense and how will you fit in with Dame and Giannis when they return? And how helpful was it to be able to at least walk through things with your teammates?

I think I'm as comfortable with the situation as it is, but it's all just talk. We won't really know until we're out there. But we're trying. I'll try it. We had great film sessions, great practices, great shoots. I was on the pitch with them. I've had conversations with people off the field about what I'm seeing and how I think I could fit into certain situations and also help. But that's all I can do now. Lead, communicate from the side, jump in as much as I can, but don't disturb their rhythm of play, their rotations and things like that. So we're trying, but we really won't know until I'm out there. Hopefully it goes smoothly. That's why we're doing this right now.

They couldn't have traveled and simply rehabilitated from Milwaukee. What did it mean for you personally to be part of the team?

I love it. I thank Doc for that. The doctor didn't even mention that I was lagging behind. I think he wants me on the team as often as possible. It's a new team. In a sense we have a new coach. He came in last year. We have a few new players who will play important minutes for us and since I'm not playing, I'm still a big part of this team. I think I was gone at first – not to say I was forgotten – but if I came back it would have been a shock. When I'm around it's different and I can get involved a little more. I can get to know my new teammates. This way I can get to know my trainers better. That's what it's about: We're together and building our chemistry with each other as much as possible.

(Top photo: Jeff Hanisch / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)