What It Means:

According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, Middleton's "status for the [2016-2017] season is unclear." General manager John Hammond said the star swingman "[will be] out for a significant period of the season." Middleton suffered a torn hamstring that will require surgery. Giannis Antetokounmpo was already in for a big workload this season and he's really going to get all the minutes he can handle now. The likes of Rashad Vaughn, Malcolm Brogdon, Matthew Dellavedova and Michael Carter-Williams should all see an uptick in minutes while Middleton is sidelined. The Bucks may also bring in some help or shake up the roster a bit to help fill the void, so a more concrete timetable should clear things up.

Middleton recorded a 0.3 nERD, which ranked 77th, in 79 games played last season. He averaged 18.2 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game, while posting a .560 true shooting percentage.