Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 116-97 loss to Cleveland Cavaliers

Middleton comes up short

With Jabari Parker absent for much of the season, the offseason focus among those close to the Bucks and those with a wider NBA perspective has been to question who the team’s auxiliary scoring options are.

In most of that discussion, the assumption has been that the Bucks would need third and fourth options to step up, as Khris Middleton is a clear and reliable second option behind Giannis. It’s impossible to deny that with Middleton’s track record in Milwaukee, but that transition isn’t as simple as saying it and then seeing him perform as needed every night.

For the Bucks to achieve the kind of considerable success that Giannis is likely to open the door for this season, Middleton needs to show up at his best every night. So far he’s 0-for-2 on that count, and although Milwaukee got away with it once, that was never an option against the reigning three-time Eastern Conference champion.

Middleton’s best basketball throughout his career hasn’t necessarily come as a featured player, and the freedom and space he’d be getting if Jabari was healthy, isn’t there for him at present. Tony Snell and Malcolm Brogdon are getting the luxury of that buffer, but for Middleton he needs to find a way to fight through the added attention and find his groove.

On Friday, Khris had only eight points on 3-10 from the field. That followed up a 6-17 performance against the Celtics. Middleton’s playmaking has been impressive as he’s averaged 5.5 assists through those two games, but the Bucks simply need his shots — particularly his threes — to start falling.