Khris Middleton’s Fantastic Start Adds To All-Star Case

The Milwaukee Bucks have been dominant lately. The team is ranked as having a top offense in the league. The Bucks have five players averaging over 10 points per game. Among those five players, one stands out, and his name is Khris Middleton.

Middleton is currently averaging 20.7 points and 6.2 assists per game. While the numbers are good, the most impressive is his consistency.

During the first eight games of the season, Middleton was shooting 53.4% from the field, 53.5% from three-point range, and 95.2% from the free-throw line. Those three stats are amazing because only eight players in NBA history have finished a season at the 50/40/90 mark.

Moving on to the current stretch of the season, the All-Star forward is still keeping those numbers. As of right now, the All-Star has a 51.6% field goal, 45% from the three-point line, and 91.6% at the free-throw line. These numbers are making a case for him to be selected to another All-Star game.

When the Bucks faced the Denver Nuggets on Monday, the forward produced 29 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds to lead Milwaukee to a 125-112 victory. After that game, the All-Star received praise from Denver’s head coach Mike Malone. “He was a throw-in in an early trade in his career, and he’s turned himself into a perennial All-Star,” Malone said. “You know he can shoot the three, you know he can take smaller guys into the post, and post-up efficiently.” The coach added more about the 29-year-old forward, “Now you add the play-making ability and the willingness to be a play-maker, knowing he’s going to attract so much attention.”

For Middleton himself, he said that his improvements came from his desire to learn more. “All year long, even last year, I just keep trying to learn the game,” Middleton said. “Finding ways to make the best read, the best shot, and just play through my teammates.”

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer changed the team’s offense for the season. Budenholzer stated, “We want to be as good and as efficient as we can be and maybe be more versatile, be able to be score and again, be efficient and good in a lot of different ways.”

On Wednesday night, Milwaukee matched against the Phoenix Suns. Middleton’s impressive shooting streak came to a halt against the Suns. Middleton finished the game shooting 41% from the field, 33% from the free-throw line but still shot above 50% from beyond the arc. Although his shooting wasn’t great, his all-around performance continued to trend upwards. The forward had 18 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds in the team’s 125-124 loss.

The hot streak was bound to end, but that does not take away from Middelton’s consistent strong performances this season. The forward has shown that he deserves another All-Star selection.

Article by Allan Perez