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Milwaukee Bucks: Can we expect Khris Middleton to have an improved shooting year?

By Jordan Treske

TORONTO, CANADA - MAY 19: Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots a three-pointer against the Toronto Raptors during Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 19, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - MAY 19: Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots a three-pointer against the Toronto Raptors during Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 19, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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After reshaping his game and finding his comfort zone within the Milwaukee Bucks’ offensive revolution over the course of last season, can All-Star swingman Khris Middleton improve on his shooting marks next year?

From the first day of the Milwaukee Bucks’ training camp last year, there was a sense of purpose permeating throughout the organization.

The arrival of now-reigning NBA Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer and his staff spurred a new set of principles that Bucks players, both new and old, had to acclimate to in an effort to finally lift the team out of the cycle of mediocrity they were previously mired in.

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The fact that the vast majority of Bucks players took and ran with it as they went on to climb atop the NBA by compiling the best record in the league last year made the formula behind their success that more impressive to watch on a nightly basis.

But not all players found their footing early on within the Bucks’ dramatic overhaul and the biggest exception to it was the Bucks’ veteran swingman, Khris Middleton.

Middleton talked at length over the course of last year about how much of an adjustment he personally had to make in adapting to the offensive principles instilled under Budenholzer and co.

It wasn’t so much being a more willing three-point threat, being the career 38.8 percent three-point shooter that he is, as it was having to find his place within the Bucks’ newly implemented free flowing system that ran against the 27-year-old’s more methodical, precise nature as he remarked to Rob Mahoney of Sports Illustrated during the All-Star break last season:

"“I knew [last season that] I could get three shots off the pick-and-roll, a couple off post-ups, one or two off catch-and-shoot,” Middleton says. “Now, it’s more sporadic. You really don’t know where it’s coming from, which is great because the defense doesn’t know what’s gonna come.”"

Finding that balance between adapting to the new company line and relying on ingrained shots that fit his comfort zone was certainly not an easy proposition for Middleton, even as he experienced the All-Star breakthrough campaign he long worked for by averaging 18.3 points on a .441/.378/.837 slash line, 6.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists in his 77 appearances last year.

Even so, Middleton’s shooting production from long range last season, sporting new wrinkles and all, was a decent uptick compared to the outlier shooting season he experienced the previous year. In no ways was that more evident than Middleton’s improved pull-up game, which became a more pronounced asset in his three-point arsenal.

Per NBA.com/stats, Middleton connected on 39 percent of his 236 three-point attempts that came off the dribble, far surpassing what he had done previously in that regard (for frame of reference, Middleton hit on 28.8 percent of his 104 pull up three-point tries in 2017-18). Only Golden State Warriors superstar and master of the pull up three, Steph Curry, held a higher three-point percentage (41.5 percent) than Middleton on such opportunities for players that averaged at least 2 pull up threes per game.

As Middleton develops a greater feel for more spontaneous looks and Budenholzer potentially adds different wrinkles to the Bucks’ offense to mold towards Middleton’s tendencies, that blend of new school and old school can make the Charleston native into a more well-rounded threat moving forward.

But in terms of where Middleton can improve his three-point shooting to the degree of what we saw earlier in his career, it’s on catch-and-shoot opportunities from three where he’ll have to refine his shooting touch. For example, the former Aggie hit a passable 35.1 percent on his 228 three-point attempts off the catch throughout last season, which was a sizable dip from the 39 percent he hit on such opportunities for the 2017-18 season.

For a team that generated the most catch-and-shoot looks last season, having a proven three-point shooter such as Middleton experience a drop, albeit still hitting at a sufficient rate, on those type of attempts means there is room for improvement on Middleton’s end as the Bucks look to improve on their total three-point efficiency.

Of course, that task won’t fall squarely on Middleton’s shoulders and he’ll be flanked next to adept marksmen such as Kyle Korver and Wesley Matthews next season, who were vital additions for the Bucks this offseason.

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Nonetheless, all Bucks fans know what Middleton is capable of from beyond the arc and to see him regain some of the potency he displayed just a couple of years ago would be a big boon to an already dangerous Milwaukee offense.

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