Milwaukee Bucks: How each player can improve before the season’s end
By William Wang
Khris Middleton: Three-Point Shooting
The sharpshooter has been on fire from the mid-range this season, nailing all sorts of twisting jumpers with defenders just inches away. However, he has not lived up to his reputation as a good shooter behind the arc.
A career 39.1 percent three-point shooter, Middleton is only hitting 34.6 percent of his three-pointers this season, which isn’t even at the league average. For a team already lacking in shooting ability, the Bucks cannot afford to have one of their best shooters underperform in this area.
The 26-year-old nailing triples is important to the Bucks’ chances of winning. Middleton is shooting three-pointers at a 42.4 percent rate in Bucks’ wins, and at a 27.2 percent rate in Bucks’ losses.
A pessimist would lament Middleton’s fondness of the mid-range and his old-fashioned game that doesn’t hunt three-pointers in the modern NBA. An optimist would point out he’s shooting 37.6 percent on catch and shoot treys, and expect his hot shooting inside the arc to translate outside the arc.