Khris Middleton And The Value of Real Plus-Minus
By Adam McGee
Mar 20, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard
Khris Middleton(22) drives to the basket defended by Brooklyn Nets guard
Markel Brown(22) during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Sure, all Milwaukee Bucks fans are paying plenty of attention to every move (and bucket) that Khris Middleton makes, but it’s still nice to see Bucks’ players get attention on a larger scale.
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That’s exactly what happened this morning too. Grantland’s Zach Lowe continued to show the Bucks’ some love, as following on from his All-Star break Lowe Post podcast with Jared Dudley today he posted a fascinating Q&A with Middleton.
The Q&A is a must read, and covers off everything from Middleton’s favorite cereal, to his videogame habits, to how the news of that now infamous trade reached the players, but there was one particular aspect that caught everyone’s eye.
Middleton’s thoughts on (or lack of interest in) his status as a free agent this summer.
Do you want proof? Well, shortly after Lowe’s piece posted, CBS Sports excellent James Herbert followed up with a piece headed: “Khris Middleton says he won’t even talk to his agent about free agency“.
Let’s take a closer look at the exchange that highlighted this (Lowe’s questions are in bold).
"So, you’re kind of a thing now. You’re the free agent du jour. You’re in the top 10 in real-plus minus, and I know you’re aware of that. People know your name now. Is that strange for you — how fast it has happened? Yeah, it’s a little weird to me right now. I’m just trying to stay focused — to go out there and play, and not worry about everything else. That’s just what you’re supposed to say. But that’s how I really feel! I’ve talked to my agent, the other guys on the team, the media — I just want to play basketball, have fun, and try to make the playoffs."
The conversation digressed, before Lowe brought the topic back up again:
"You keep saying you haven’t thought about your free agency. Come on, admit you have! No, seriously. I went out to eat with my agent last night [in New York], and he asked me if I wanted to talk about it. I said no. I wouldn’t talk about it with him, even. I just want to wait until the season’s over — focus on basketball and making the playoffs. Everything else will figure itself out."
The reality is for Middleton’s agent Michael Lindeman, that he doesn’t even need to talk to his client about it though. Between a combination of the 23-year-old’s stellar play, and this type of positive press, the South Carolina native’s bank account is going to have little to worry about.
A humble young wing who can attack and defend, and will say all the right things to the press? Bring your blank check this way!
The real kicker is the talk of the analytic that could back all of that up too.
Lowe mentioned that Middleton places in the top ten of ESPN’s real plus-minus, and that puts him in seriously elite company.
ESPN define real plus-minus as:
"Player’s estimated on-court impact on team performance, measured in net point differential per 100 offensive and defensive possessions. RPM takes into account teammates, opponents and additional factors"
Or in simpler terms, the projected impact a player makes irrespective of his teammates when he’s on the floor.
How valuable could that be to Middleton in terms of free agency though?
We’ll take a look at the current top ten, what makes them stand out, and how much they earn in order to find out.