The Bucks enter their matchup with the Lakers with the second-best record in the NBA. It's an impre sive accomplishment considering they've been without their second-best player. , Bucks forward Khris Middleton is planning to make his season debut on Friday. The three-time All-Star has been sidelined since the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs with a knee and wrist injury, the latter of which required surgery.How big of a deal is Middleton's return to a Bucks team that already looks like a contender? Let's dive in.SIGN UP TO WATCH EVERY GAME ON NBA LEAGUE PASS: | Middleton hasn't played since Game 2 of Milwaukee's first-round series against Chicago in the 2022 NBA Playoffs.Middleton left the game with an MCL sprain in his left knee. The injury sidelined him for the rest of the series and all Leki Fotu Jersey of Milwaukee's second-round series against Boston, which went to seven games.ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim Bontemps a couple of months later that Middleton was expected to mi s the start of the 2022-23 season, not because of the knee injury he suffered in the playoffs, but because he underwent surgery in the offseason to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist.Middleton later he injured his left wrist after last season's All-Star break and knew it would need to be fixed. Middleton's return is a big deal for the Bucks.He might not be a household name, but Middleton has gone from being a second-round pick to one of David Wells Jersey the best players at his position. He's earned three All-Star selections over the last four seasons, posting averages of 19.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 a sists on .463/.393/.884 shooting splits during that span.The Bucks have been fine defensively without Middleton to start the season. (They currently have . That's a testament to how ridiculous Jrue Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez are on that end of the court.) Offensively, they haven't been nearly as sharp.Middleton might not solve of the i sues that currently has the Bucks scoring at a , but he sure could solve a lot of them.For one, Middleton is an excellent shooter who will give Holiday and Antetokounmpo even more space to work with in the halfcourt, where points have been for the Bucks. He's a career 39.2 percent 3-point shooter, and he's James Conner Jersey a threat to shoot off the catch and off the dribble. Two, his ability to create for himself and others will take pre sure off of Holiday and Antetokounmpo to create as much as they have.Much has been made of Luka Doncic's sky-high usage rate to start the season, but Antetokounmpo now quietly . Holiday's usage rate is the highest of his Bucks tenure, and his efficiency is down compared to his first two seasons in Milwaukee.Middleton's return should bring those numbers down to a more optimal level.Usage rate of Milwaukee's Big Three2020-212021-222022-23Giannis Antetokounmpo32.0%34.0%38.2%Khris Middleton24.5%25.5%Jrue Holiday21.7%23.1%25.2%One thing you should expect to see more of with Middleton back is Antetokounmpo doing more damageas the screener in pick-and-rolls. Antetokounmpo is rolling as much as he did last Rondale Moore T Shirts season, but his efficiency has plummeted, going from averaging as the screener to .For context, that's the difference between Antetokounmpo ranking in the 85th percentile and 28th percentile in efficiency. Basically, top tier to bad. Having his favorite pick-and-roll partner back should make a big difference.Go underneath screens against Middleton, and you're toast. (Middleton was one of the in the NBA in the 2021-22 season.) Show him extra attention or switch, and you risk Antetokounmpo slipping to the basket, which rarely ends well for the defense.Ultimately, we're talking about a multi-time All-Star rejoining a team that's already on pace to win 61 games. Even if it takes him some time to find his rhythm after almost eight months off, Middleton's return has the potential to be a game-changer for the Jonathan Ledbetter Jersey Bucks.Its wild, you know, its wild, . Weve been playing the way we are, and we havent had an All-Star, All-NBA guy like that, just tops at his position. Thats scary."Obviously, we want Khris to take his time, make sure hes healthy, get right and everything, but thats an exciting prospect to think about.