Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 112-96 Game 7 loss to Boston Celtics

Middleton proves himself on a national stage

Khris Middleton fully established himself not only as the second-best player on this Bucks team by far, but one of the top players in the entire playoffs.

Often criticized for the type of shots he prefers, tough mid-range jumpers over three-pointers, Middleton silenced doubters in the test of the playoffs. In Game 7, he scored 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting, including 5-for-9 threes, and with Giannis looking off, was the most reliable scoring option for the Bucks.

Even when the game was almost certainly over, Middleton continued to play hard and caught on fire, nailing three triples in the last couple minutes of the fourth. In other games this season, him making three-pointers too late has been a running joke with fans wondering why he didn’t make them earlier.

But in this game, it was an admirable performance amidst the mess around him, as he has been making shots all series long.

The sweet-shooting forward deserves greater national recognition for his performance and abilities. What he did is comparable to the level and value of what Klay Thompson does for the Golden State Warriors, what Gordon Hayward did for the Jazz and should do for the Celtics, and what DeMar DeRozan does for the Toronto Raptors.

And in this year’s playoffs, he’s probably been better. Including Game 7, he ranks second in WPA in the playoffs with 1.06 behind only LeBron James.

He legitimately shot 25-for-41 on three-pointers in this Celtics series, and scored 24.7 points per game. The scoring numbers don’t demonstrate his value to this team as a consistent personality and voice of leadership to balance out the inconsistencies of Bledsoe and Parker.

Middleton is the glue guy whose versatility is essential to the team, but he ought also to be seen as a star who makes incredible shots to lift his team to greater heights.

One can only hope the Bucks can build more effectively around him and Giannis.