More and more reports are coming out saying that Khris Middleton might return to the court as soon as post All-Star break. This begs the question; how dangerous can the Milwaukee Bucks be with Khash back on the floor?
When news broke that Khris Middleton would miss an extended period of time with a torn hamstring, the consensus was that the Bucks season was over. Middleton, during the 2015-16 season, led the team in points, minutes, three-point attempts, steals, free throw percentage, field goal attempts, and offensive BPM.
It was not hard to predict that the Milwaukee Bucks would find themselves in the lottery for a second consecutive year without Middleton. However, that has not really gone as expected.
After 24 games, the Bucks are 18-16, which is good enough for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Their record is not necessarily indicative of how they are playing, because the Bucks are playing much better than two games above .500.
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It’s not hard to see the Bucks playing hard in the playoffs this year, and even winning a series, with the current roster. The defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers have even come out with comments saying that the Bucks will be a tough playoff foe. What if the Bucks can add Khris Middleton back to a starting role?
Now here comes the fun part; how far can the Bucks go with Middleton? Milwaukee has been in a lot of close game scenarios this season, and Middleton would ensure that the Bucks win more of those than they lose.
There are also a lot of games this season where the Bucks have blown big leads (but not a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, at least.) Middleton and his years of experience would not allow for a 20-point lead to slip past the Bucks.
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As previously noted, the Bucks are the sixth seed in the East, but are only three games out of the third seed. With home court advantage in the playoffs and the way the team is playing, it’s not hard to see the Bucks make things very interesting in the postseason, and maybe even make it past the first round.
If the Bucks are in a position to win now with Middleton back, they might even be buyers at the trade deadline. That idea is tantalizing for Bucks fans with players such as Paul Millsap, DeMarcus Cousins, Nerlens Noel, and Brook Lopez potentially on the trade block, among other important players with less name recognition.
Any star or prominent role player that gets added to a core of Antetokounmpo, Parker, and Middleton could start to shift the balance of power in the East from the Cavs to the team in Milwaukee.
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If Middleton is ready to come back to the Bucks next month, no one really knows how much better the team can get.