Milwaukee Bucks: Predicting 2019-20 season stat leaders
By Adam McGee
Points
With the departure of Malcolm Brogdon, it would take a major surprise for any of the Bucks’ Big 3 to be dislodged from their spots as the team’s top-3 scorers. Similarly, as it stands, it would seem unlikely that the order will change from where it finished last year.
3rd: Eric Bledsoe
After another postseason of struggles, I predict a back to basics kind of season from Bledsoe. That may not all prove to be positive, but it will at the very least give the Bucks a clearer picture of what they can rely on from their point guard for when it matters most.
In that context, this “MTV Unplugged” iteration of Bledsoe can be expected to bare his soul with only an acoustic guitar to hide behind every night. In other words, Bledsoe needs to lean on his highly efficient driving game this season and reap the rewards it will offer. His points could take a jump with improved free throw shooting or a more unlikely leap from beyond the arc, but on drives alone he’ll find himself among Milwaukee’s leading scorers.
2nd: Khris Middleton
Middleton averaged 18.3 points per game last season, and my prediction is he’ll go better this time around. A notoriously slow starter, there’s every reason to believe Middleton will benefit greatly from his World Cup experience this summer, and from the strong showings he started to put in as that tournament progressed.
A year on, he’ll undoubtedly play with an improved understanding and comfort of Mike Budenholzer’s offense, but Coach Bud has also indicated that there may be some more working with Middleton to get his preferred looks, as happened as last year rolled on. Don’t be surprised to see Middleton’s three-point percentage to crawl back toward 40 percent this year, and for his points per game to cross the 20-point mark to coincide with that.
There’s absolutely no doubt that Giannis will be the Bucks’ leading scorer next season. The real question is just how much further he can push his numbers and where that will leave him in the wider NBA scoring ranks.
Antetokounmpo finished last season averaging 27.7 points per game, leaving him within range of a logical milestone of a 30 points per game season. Is that in play for him? It’s certainly possible with just some slight improvements to his shot-making away from the basket, and even with simply knocking down more free throws. If he can approach that number, then leading the entire NBA in scoring becomes a possibility.