Projecting 5 Bucks Who Could Improve The Most Next Season
By Adam McGee
Apr 8, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton (22) during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Cleveland won 104-99. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Khris Middleton
Fresh off the back of a max-contract extension, Bucks fans can look forward to five more years of super efficient swingman, Khris Middleton.
When he was included as part of the trade that saw Brandon Jennings head to Detroit, most couldn’t have envisioned Middleton to be anything more than a former second round pick being included as a salary throwaway.
Instead, he has proven to be a high caliber two-way swingman, who Milwaukee hope will only get better from here. Historically, Middleton is one of only three players of 6’5″ or taller to have achieved over 2,000 points, 200 steals and 40 percent from three-point range in over 4,000 minutes across his first three seasons.
| Totals | Shooting | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Ht | G | MP | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
| Klay Thompson | 6-7 | 229 | 7412 | 716 | 497 | 209 | 102 | 395 | 3673 | .435 | .410 | .827 |
| Khris Middleton | 6-7 | 188 | 5313 | 707 | 379 | 220 | 35 | 247 | 2210 | .453 | .403 | .858 |
| Michael Dickerson | 6-5 | 202 | 7279 | 591 | 536 | 205 | 83 | 393 | 3185 | .434 | .403 | .782 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/24/2015.
Dickerson was an incredibly talented guard who had his career unfortunately cut short by injuries, but the most intriguing for Bucks fans is without a doubt, Klay Thompson.
Thompson just made his first All-Star appearance in his fourth season, on his way to helping to steer the Warriors to an NBA title, but in spite of the fact he played more than Middleton did in his first three years, there are incredible similarities in their numbers.
To Middleton’s credit, through three seasons he has the advantage over Thompson in steals, field goal, three-point and free throw percentage. If Middleton can continue on that path to becoming one of the league’s best shooters while defending at an elite level, he’ll likely be battling Thompson as two of the NBA’s best two guards for years to come.
Next: John Henson