Missing Middleton: Bucks still seek ways to cope

St. Francis — Coping with injuries is part of life in the NBA.

Coaches talk about “the next man up.” General managers scramble to make deals when a big part of the team goes down for an extended period.

Players do their best to make up for the absence.

It happened to the Milwaukee Bucks before training camp even began. Khris Middleton, the team’s leading scorer and one of its top shooters and defenders, tore his left hamstring and required surgery.

Worst thing? He would be out six months, maybe the entire season.

Suddenly, the Bucks went from a factor in the Eastern Conference race to a nonfactor, in the eyes of many observers. They went from a 40-plus win team to 30-plus.

They went from an emerging young team to a team nobody was talking about.

The Bucks have spent training camp trying to develop an identity, with new players in the mix and the Middleton situation an important part of the equation. They're still working on it, with the regular-season opener coming Wednesday with a home game against the Charlotte Hornets.

Last week they made a trade with the Chicago Bulls for fourth-year player Tony Snell, a move to bolster the shooting guard position.

“To get Snell helped balance out that roster for us,” coach Jason Kidd said.

Middleton was poised for a productive season after playing in 79 games last season and averaging career highs of 18.2 points, 4.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 36.1 minutes. He was entering the second year of the five-year, $70 million contract he signed as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2015.

The Bucks have recent experience with a major player going down with an injury. Two seasons ago, then-rookie forward Jabari Parker tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in a December game in Phoenix.

Milwaukee was thought to have no chance after losing the No. 2 overall pick and leading rookie of the year candidate. Instead, the team came together to post a 41-41 record and reach the playoffs as the East’s sixth-seeded team.

“When I sat out, it wasn’t a major thing, just because I was a rookie,” Parker said. “I think Khris’ time out is more vital.

“He’s a bigger piece than I ever was when I was a rookie. He’s a lot more important to our team.

“It’s going to just take leadership and take some effort and growth to overcome that void.”

Parker recalled the time he had to sit out and said, “I was 18 (actually 19) years old. I don’t know what I know right now.

“The injury really helped me become a stronger person and gave me a better work ethic. As far as Khris Middleton, we really need him.

“We’re going to miss him. But we’re not going to give up, either.”

The Bucks will be relying on 21-year-olds Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo to grow up even faster this season. They will need leadership from newcomer Matthew Dellavedova, fresh off an NBA championship with Cleveland.

And they will hope veterans Jason Terry and Mirza Teletovic provide sage counsel to the younger players while also producing on the court.

Dellavedova got his chance to shine with the Cavaliers two seasons ago when starting point guard Kyrie Irving was out with an injury. The Australian started seven of 20 playoff games and averaged nearly 25 minutes a game in the postseason with Irving hobbled.

“I’m disappointed because I only got to play with him (Middleton) for a week or two when I got here,” Dellavedova said. “We’ll have plenty of time to play together, so I’m looking forward to having him back healthy and strong.

“It’s more opportunity for other guys to step up. The mentality is that no one person is going to replace what we’ve lost in Khris. Everybody ‘just play your role, be yourself, and what you contribute is enough.’

“We’ll fill in around what the team needs. Just like when I was filling in for Kyrie, I’m not trying to be Kyrie. I’m just trying to be myself and help the team.”

That would be good advice for Snell, who already has said he will not try to imitate Middleton.

Kidd can experiment with different lineups and use Teletovic off the bench to bolster the position. The Bucks are counting on Snell to be able to defend elite wing players and hit some three-point shots.

“You can look that people have written us off because Khris is out,” Kidd said. “But the games are still scheduled and you’ve still got to play them.

“We feel we have enough talent to compete on a nightly basis and the wins and losses will take care of themselves.

“We know Khris is out. The timetable of him coming back is a ways away.

“I think it’s just being yourself. We can’t make up Khris being gone, but we’ve got to be able to play as a team. Understand we win and lose as a team and play hard.

“Those are the things we can control. If we can do that on a consistent basis, we feel we can win a lot more games than we can lose.”

Bucks cut three: The Bucks trimmed their roster to 15 by requesting waivers on guard Orlando Johnson, forward J.J. O’Brien and center Jaleel Roberts on Saturday.

Johnson averaged 4.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in five preseason games; O’Brien scored five points in five appearances; and Roberts played in five games, scoring two points and grabbing three rebounds.