Milwaukee Bucks: Could Current Bucks Rewrite Milwaukee’s Stat Leaderboards?

Mar 7, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34), Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton (22) and Chicago Bulls guard Justin Holiday (7) go after a loose ball during the game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34), Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton (22) and Chicago Bulls guard Justin Holiday (7) go after a loose ball during the game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

Games Played/Minutes Played

Both of these records are in play for both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Giannis probably has a better shot being three years younger, but if Khris sticks around in Milwaukee for a long time he too could pass the current leaders in both categories.

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Junior Bridgeman leads all Bucks in games played, with 711. Giannis has 238 of them, while Khris has 240. Both of them need under 500 more games to pass Bridgeman, which comes out to somewhere between six or seven years assuming they only miss a handful of games per season.

That’s pretty reasonable–even Middleton could overtake Bridgeman before hitting his mid-30s, and Giannis could play more games as a Buck than anyone by the ripe old age of 29.

Bob Dandridge holds the Bucks record for minutes played. He totaled 22,094 minutes as a Buck. Middleton has 7,690 so far, while Giannis has played 7,621 minutes with Milwaukee. Both players are about a third of the way there after three seasons, meaning after a decade with the Bucks both Middleton and Antetokounmpo could pass the Greyhound in Milwaukee minutes played.

The real takeaway here is simply the importance of longevity. Khris Middleton, Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo are obviously all very good. But the only way they’ll really leave their mark on Milwaukee’s record books is by staying together with the Bucks for the next decade or so.

That’s a lot to expect from any young core, but it’s not impossible. The San Antonio Spurs kept a core together for 15 years, and multiple NBA Championships resulted from the efforts.

Next: Historic Player Profile: Marques Johnson

If the Milwaukee Bucks can keep their talent around for a while, the dividends should show both in the win columns and the stat sheets. There’s greatness present in Milwaukee–the challenge now is keeping it there for a long, long time.