Milwaukee Bucks: Khris Middleton’s playoff play changed expectations for the future

Following a standout series against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, expectations have changed for Khris Middleton, and the Milwaukee Bucks overall.

As Khris Middleton participated in the recent USA Basketball mini-camp in Las Vegas, alongside many of the very best players in the NBA, he likely felt a sense of long overdue recognition. Potentially, not for the first time over the past few months either.

The narratives around Middleton have loudly centered around how underrated he was for so long that many, this writer included, had begun to believe that he was in fact recognized adequately due to how often the subject was brought up.

The playoffs proved that theory wrong, though, as when Middleton really hit top form it was amazing to see just how many people seemed truly unaware of how good the 26-year-old is.

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Of course, this message was further driven home by an unfortunate interview where a reporter thought Middleton was actually his then teammate Jabari Parker. That’s certainly not the kind of experience any other playoff star has had to deal with lately.

What was most interesting about Middleton’s playoff play, though, is that even for the believers, those who know exactly who he is and have been trying to spread the word for years, there was cause for excitement about his play.

It was a different kind of Middleton. This version was more aggressive offensively, more efficient with his shot, and certainly more engaged defensively than the player who had worked his way through a strong, but often flawed, regular season.

Perhaps it was down to confidence. After strangely suffering with his three-point accuracy throughout the season, Middleton’s shot clicked into gear post All-Star break to give him momentum coming into the playoffs.

Maybe it was a byproduct of health. Although it was 12 months since he’d returned from tearing his hamstring clean off the bone, many had attributed some of Middleton’s uncharacteristic lapses defensively during the year to the toll of that injury. In the playoffs, he was revitalized and very much looked back to his best on that end, though.

It could even just have been a case of needing the right motivation. After years of underachievement as a team, and a disruptive season marked by a coaching change, the postseason offered the Bucks a clean slate to prove who they were.

Whatever the reason, Middleton showed himself to be very much up to that task.

Over the course of seven games against Boston, Middleton averaged 24.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 39.3 minutes per game, while shooting 59.8 percent from the field and 61 percent from deep.

When the playoffs wrapped up, Middleton still ranked in the top-10 among all players in points per game, while out of non-frontcourt players who played at least as many games as he did, only T.J. McConnell could better Middleton’s field goal and three-point percentages, and that was on a dramatically lower volume.

Middleton posted modest increases on his attempts, but nothing that could be deemed unsustainable for a more consistent role for him. The real boon to his offensive production came from making 61 percent of his 5.9 three-point attempts.

Obviously, that’s not something he could be asked or expected to repeat over a longer span, but with much of his playoff output, now that it’s clear he can reach such an elite level, the question for the Bucks is can Middleton produce that level of play more often?

Long pinned as the third option on a team whose long-term future would be dictated by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker, Middleton’s great postseason play couldn’t have come at a better time. Parker’s departure means there’s no longer any ambiguity; Middleton usurped him in importance to the Bucks and will now be the undisputed second option on the team moving further.

If that message wasn’t clear enough from events on the court, Middleton joining Antetokounmpo in a meeting with Mike Budenholzer prior to the new Bucks’ coach’s hire cemented it. Free agency is just around the corner for the South Carolina native, but the team’s plan seems to be for him to return, and that’s also Middleton’s stated preference.

In a more modern system, Middleton’s importance will grow, but like the rest of his teammates, so should his opportunity. On a personal level, that opportunity will extend to his hopes of making a first All-Star Game. With the arrival of Kawhi Leonard to the East counteracted by the departure of LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan, Middleton has reason to feel confident on that front too.

For that to become a reality, along with Milwaukee’s team goals of 50 wins and advancing beyond the first round in the playoffs, Middleton will have to build on what he did in the playoffs. Nobody expects him to produce at that kind of level night in, and night out, but he will need to do it with greater regularity.

The gift and the curse of excellence is the expectation for it to continue. Middleton set the bar incredibly high last April against the Celtics, and now, if not all eyes, more eyes than he’s accustomed to will be on his attempts to clear it next season.