Milwaukee Bucks: Khris Middleton’s eye-opening playoff play

Although the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated in the first round, Khris Middleton‘s outstanding play in the series grabbed attention around the NBA.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ season ended in first round disappointment as they were eliminated by the Boston Celtics on Saturday, but there was one player who certainly couldn’t be blamed for his team’s woes.

While it was thought of as a given that Giannis Antetokounmpo would deliver in the playoffs for Milwaukee, moments of inconsistency across their roster throughout the season made it tough to predict who else, if anyone, would step up.

Once known as the team’s most consistent player, Khris Middleton not only returned to the peak of his powers across seven games with Boston, but he gave evidence of an extra level which he’d never previously managed to unlock.

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As Milwaukee’s playoff journey ended, Middleton’s series averages topped out at 24.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, while shooting an incredible 59.8 percent from the field and 61 percent from deep.

Middleton’s shooting was understandably the standout element of his play, as he finished the first round having made more three-pointers than any other player, while also having shot the highest percentage from deep by a comfortable margin.

Although it will likely be overlooked due to the comparative brevity of Middleton’s seven-game run, the 26-year-old’s 61 percent from three-point range is the highest percentage ever achieved by a player who made at least 20 triples in a single playoffs.

In fact, prior to this year’s playoffs, only three players (Jeff Hornacek, Steve Smith, Derek Fisher) had managed to shoot over 50 percent from deep with that baseline of volume in the playoffs.

All of this is made all the more remarkable as in spite of a career-best season in terms of scoring, Middleton entered the playoffs on the back of a down year in terms of efficiency. The Charleston native finished the regular season averaging 35.9 percent from deep, his worst mark since his rookie season.

The real driver in that drop-off was a tough first half of the season, but Middleton did show signs of recovery by shooting 39.3 percent from behind the arc following the All-Star break. Considering Middleton appeared on Howard Beck’s podcast just before the break and hinted at some slight mechanics issue, it seems safe to say the time off that followed helped Middleton to find a solution.

In light of his playoff outburst, the fact Middleton wasn’t an All-Star, and has never been, has become a relevant discussion point nationally.

National coverage of Middleton has generally always been tied to mention of him being overlooked or underrated. That was certainly true when he first came to Milwaukee as a throwaway piece in the Brandon Jennings–Brandon Knight trade, but it seemed less so as he broke out in advance of signing his current deal with the Bucks.

A March 2015 Q&A with Zach Lowe opened with Lowe pointing out to Middleton that people had started to know his name and that he had become a “free agent du jour”, and yet a viral story surrounding Middleton in the last couple of weeks emerged due to a reporter confusing him with Jabari Parker.

Back in June 2016, I even wrote a piece on this very site about having been left somewhat bewildered by how it seemed like Middleton’s play continued to be under-appreciated and surrounded by misnomers.

Fast-forward to the present, and Middleton’s being included on a breakout team of the first round, being labeled as the NBA’s most productive player not on a max deal, and having his recent burst described as playing like an All-NBA player.

Sure, a lot of this may involve the wider NBA audience being caught in a loop of opening their eyes to Middleton, forgetting him, and then rediscovering him only to become disciples anew, but it may also beg the question of what Milwaukee is making out of their versatile second option, and what he delivers night-to-night.

The heady heights of Middleton’s post-season play are almost certainly unsustainable, but rather than the national media being set abuzz, it’s his own team that likely need to be most intrigued by what their long-time stalwart showed.

Middleton has always had a propensity for big shots, often late in games, but his failure to deliver on the bigger stages the NBA offers had often left him open to criticism too.

At the very least, the past two weeks have proven he’s up to that task, but what will it take to get him closer to that level more often?

For a starter, it will take elite defense. Middleton was once heralded as one of the NBA’s best 3-and-D players. In the time since, his game has largely evolved beyond that, but the label didn’t feel as appropriate due to his defensive contributions cratering too.

Middleton appeared to become more prone to bouts of frustration and corresponding drop-offs in effort over the past couple of seasons, while many fans had started to voice concerns over a potential loss of lateral quickness since returning from the hamstring injury he suffered in training camp back in 2016.

Against Boston, all of that seemed unfounded. Middleton was frequently tasked with covering the young, athletic wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and he excelled throughout the series.

Khris Middleton's D has been so good this series. I thought he regressed a bit during the regular season but he's shown now his elite ability is still there. Amazing hand-eye coordination to strip Tatum on that transition attack. What an overall series for Middleton.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 29, 2018

Beyond that, Middleton critics, or at least those skeptical of how central his role with the Bucks should be, would always point to his shot-selection. Middleton often leans into mid-range looks, living off a steady diet of turnaround jumpers and contested fadeaways. In the Bucks community, these choices have become known as the “tough shot express”.

Middleton’s mid-range tendencies don’t align with the modern view of efficiency in the NBA — particularly for a player who has proven to be effective from three-point range — but the discussion is complicated by just how good he is from that area of the court.

Middleton attempted the fifth most mid-range jumpers (454) in the NBA for the entirety of the regular season, but of players who attempted at least 300, only Kevin Durant (49.4 percent) managed to edge out Middleton’s efficiency from that zone (49.3 percent).

Shooting close to 50 percent from any area of the floor is no mean feat, and shouldn’t necessarily be dismissed as a valuable weapon. Discussing Middleton’s shot-making throughout the playoffs, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown summed up the Khris Middleton experience nicely:

"“He’s a killer. He’s made some extremely tough shots, and he’s comfortable making them.”"

Middleton’s comfort in making those shots is worth noting. The Bucks can’t remove them completely from his shot diet, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be beneficial to increase his three-point volume either.

With a new coach and a more coherent offense, perhaps Middleton could be weaponized further. His shooting and playmaking make him a great fit for Antetokounmpo, and an offense that further plays to the Greek’s strengths could also leave room for more tailored looks for Middleton as a secondary option.

At a minimum, while the rest of the NBA gets back on board the Middleton hype train, the Bucks shouldn’t lose sight of what they have. Middleton isn’t an elite NBA scorer or top-tier star, and will only suffer if he’s measured up to those standards.

Of the players below that level, there aren’t many better than Middleton, though, and that’s worth its weight in gold.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks: 2018 exit interview highlights

To put it very simply, Middleton is very good and capable of moments of greatness. The combination of those two factors will mean the discussion over his value and how much he’s appreciated will likely rage on for years to come.