Milwaukee Bucks: 3 big questions at the halfway mark of the 2019-20 season

Supporting stars stepping up

Everyone knows that Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is the straw that stirs the Bucks’ drink and there’s a very good chance that he may end up repeating as the league’s MVP for the second straight season, given his and the Bucks’ success so far.

Yet, the questions and overall skepticism facing the supporting stars around Antetokounmpo, those being Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton, remain. To this point in the season, though, both veterans have shown themselves to be up for the challenge of being Antetokounmpo’s right-hand men, and the Bucks’ secondary creators within their third-ranked offense, per NBA.com/stats.

As of this writing, both Bledsoe and Middleton are tracking for the most efficient seasons of their respective careers as Bledsoe is averaging 21.3 points per 36 minutes on a 58.4 true shooting percentage. Middleton, meanwhile, is averaging 24.4 points per 36 minutes on a 59.9 true shooting percentage.

They’re doing so while averaging the fewest minutes since both became full-time starters and the Bucks’ offense reaches its ceiling when both are on the floor. Bledsoe currently holds a 113.7 offensive rating and Middleton follows the point guard with a 113.4 offensive rating on the court.

Of course, both Bledsoe and Middleton have both missed time due to injury, with Bledsoe being sidelined with a right avulsion fracture in his right leg that held him out of eight games in mid-to-late December while Middleton missed seven games with a left thigh contusion in November.

While they jockey for position to join Antetokounmpo at this year’s All-Star Game in Chicago, all Bucks fans will be hoping and expecting for both Bledsoe and Middleton to keep up this level of play when the competition picks up as the year moves along, and especially in the postseason. Time will tell if that’s a realistic hope or not.