Milwaukee Bucks: Khris Middleton benching sends out necessary wider warning

As Mike Budenholzer opted to bench Khris Middleton for the crucial moments of the latest Milwaukee Bucks’ loss, he sent a message to the roster as a whole.

When Mike Budenholzer decided to bench Khris Middleton ahead of the fourth quarter of the Milwaukee Bucks’ Saturday evening clash with the New York Knicks, he could certainly be forgiven for thinking the game should be in hand for his team.

As the Bucks extended their lead to 14 points midway through the final quarter, it certainly seemed that way. Yet the events that followed only further justified the decision of the coach to make a bold move and send a statement to one of his star players, as the Bucks sleepwalked their way through the remainder of the game with sloppy play before losing in overtime.

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Since opening up the season with a dazzling 7-0 start, the Bucks have steadily slipped backward through a mediocre 8-7 run. Milwaukee may still rank second in the Eastern Conference, but there’s no disputing their record could be much better.

The Bucks have generally continued to play well throughout that 15-game span, as demonstrated by the fact they still own the NBA lead in offensive rating, net rating, point-differential, points per game and rebounds per game.

Milwaukee’s defense has undoubtedly slipped — although by way of their strong start they still rank sixth overall in defensive rating — and a large part of the onus rests on Budenholzer and his staff to get a handle on what changes the Bucks have made to lead to that drop-off, and what adjustments opposing teams have made for Milwaukee too.

Aside from scheme specifics and even a portion of bad luck (you know, like Emmanuel Mudiay pouring on a barrage of contested threes), the Bucks’ recent stuttering play can be tied back to a malaise that amounts to a much more deep-rooted issue.

The Bucks developed a multitude of bad habits under the previous coaching regime, and even with many of the schematic overhauls that have been on display, the stink of certain undesirable tendencies continue to linger.

Jason Kidd became the source of ridicule from Bucks fans due to a tendency to blame everything on energy and effort, even when other areas of his team’s play — and his coaching — were clearly at fault. If Kidd had gone to that particular well a little less frequently, though, there’s no doubting he would have had a valid point.

The Bucks were the rare NBA team to suffer from complacency without actually being good, and now that they have actually reached that comparably elevated status, the problem is unsurprisingly not magically disappearing.

After starting Saturday’s game with a nice collection of made three-pointers, Middleton eventually descended into the kind of half-hearted closeouts and contests that can often also be seen from many of his teammates.

Speaking to Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after the game, Middleton freely owned up to some of those foibles too, at the very least demonstrating an understanding as to why his coach ultimately chose to act as he did.

"“Plain and simple just got benched today,” Middleton said. “Wasn’t playing well. Thought I was hurting the team more than I helped, so he decided not to play me.Probably a missed defensive assignment, there was one loose ball I didn’t get, but it’s probably just stuff like that. Part of it – not part of it – that’s on me to get those and play hard and do the right things out there.”"

Middleton is not alone. Even Giannis Antetokounmpo is prone to such lapses in effort and concentration from time-to-time.

What does it say about the Bucks’ ability to close out hard-fought games if their best players are liable to take their foot off the gas, though?

At a minimum, it suggests it’s something that needs to be addressed. It’s certainly something that cannot be managed passively this far down the road.

The oft-lauded San Antonio Spurs culture that Budenholzer hails from is famed for accountability. Spurs role players have often recounted tales of Gregg Popovich making an example of Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili during a timeout or film session.

The intention of those critiques extended beyond simply addressing an issue with the players involved, but also making it clear to the rest of the roster that the same high standards were expected from all 15 players. Nobody was exempt.

In benching Middleton, Budenholzer sent a similar message to his players. Considering six of Milwaukee’s seven defeats have come by two possessions or less, it’s a particularly important message for a team that could be a juggernaut with improved staying power and killer instinct.

Whether it pays off remains to be seen. Considering how deep-rooted such lulls may be embedded in the longer-tenured Bucks, it’d be optimistic to believe there’s any kind of quick fix.

Still, the incident stands as the biggest in-game statement Budenholzer has made in Milwaukee so far. A larger culture of accountability can only be a good thing for the Bucks, but it could be a lesson they’ll need be taught a few times more before it fully sinks in.