Milwaukee Bucks Roundtable: Confidence approaching All-Star break
By Adam McGee
4. Giannis also looks like a lock to repeat as an All-Star captain, but do you think any of his teammates will be joining him in Chicago for that game?
DL: None of his teammates will be joining him in Chicago based off of the fan vote, but someone else will join him as one of the reserve selections by the coaches.
Out of his teammates, the most likely one to be chosen is Khris Middleton. I thought Eric Bledsoe deserved to make it over him last season based off of how the two were playing at that time. However, Middleton has been the superior player this season, even if Bledsoe has played quite well once again.
Middleton has been a vital part of the Bucks’ success, especially over the past several weeks. He has a real shot to finish as a 50-40-90 guy. He’s been leading the team on offense whenever Giannis has sat. His per 36 minute numbers are basically in superstar territory too. Given that he’s having a much better season than he did when he was selected a season ago, there’s a very good chance he’ll be playing in the All-Star game for the second successive season.
RD: It is truly a shame how underrated Khris Middleton is as a player. After his first appearance at last year’s All-Star Game, Middleton is having another career year. After the first few rounds of fan voting, Giannis is clearly the leader in the East and it is a pity that Middleton isn’t anywhere on the list. Middleton is consistently Milwaukee’s second go-to option for scoring and is a great leader when Giannis is on the bench. He understands the game and knows where and when to take the best shots available. I hope to see Giannis and Khris play on the same team again, and that the NBA gets to witness the ability of Middleton as he puts up 20 quick points on a court full of All-Stars.
Aside from Middleton, it would be cool to see Bledsoe or Brook Lopez but unfortunately, there is an element of popularity and while the Bucks fly under the radar, far too many teams miss out on seeing the greatness of the Milwaukee Bucks role players.
JC: I would be absolutely shocked if Khris Middleton is not in the 2020 NBA All-Star game, but I am expecting he will be the only other Buck in the contest. If you were watching the Fox Sports Wisconsin broadcast during the Brooklyn Nets game this weekend, Jim Paschke and Marques Johnson were both talking as though they fully expect a third Buck to be in the game. That whole segment caught me by surprise. I do not see Brook Lopez or Eric Bledsoe making the All Star game, but that does not mean I am not happy with their play this season. Eric Bledsoe has had many inconsistent games where he disappears, and Brook Lopez has been wildly inconsistent on offense. I can see where someone could say that Brook’s defense alone should put him in the All Star game, but I just do not see that happening, personally. Also, I really hope that Giannis drafts Khris to his team again for the All Star game. Khris Middleton lit up the game last year with a 20-5-4 stat-line!
Lastly, this has to finally be the year where Giannis gets an All Star Game MVP award. I think he would have won it the last two years if his team won the game. Yes, the little things matter to me.
BO: I think the coaches will do the right thing and vote Middleton into the game. He’s been so good this year, and it goes widely unnoticed. However, I have faith that the smart people in the game of basketball will see what he’s done and reward him for it over other guys who are on worse teams.
The same can’t be said for Bledsoe and Lopez, however. Bledsoe just hasn’t had a good enough season to make the team, and Brook just won’t get the credit he deserves because his offensive stats aren’t good enough. If the Bucks were lucky enough to get a third All-Star and I got to choose, I would lean Brook over Bledsoe. Brook has been an absolute force on the defensive end, and he deserves to be in the top-two for DPOY consideration, but it doesn’t matter because he’s not going to make the All-Star team.
JT: I think, for the second straight season, Khris Middleton will join Giannis at next month’s NBA All-Star Game in Chicago.
In many ways, I think Middleton is more deserving as the Bucks’ second All-Star than when he got the nod last season as I thought Bledsoe was a more fitting candidate. Despite the minor quibble, it’s incredibly obvious just how much more consistent and comfortable Middleton has been this season, based on his on-court play. The strong shooting from all levels of the floor is proof of that as he’s having the most efficient season of his career by far (61 true shooting percentage).
This season, Middleton has brought together the best of both worlds where his own tendencies and comfort zones have melded with the Bucks’ new-age tenets enacted by head coach Mike Budenholzer. Middleton has never played better and at this level of consistency and it’s exactly why he’s deserving to add another All-Star selection to his career accolades.
AM: I think through a lot of the answers here I’ve realized that Bucks fans are even overlooking just how good Bledsoe has been this season. I wrote about this subject recently, and numbers-wise, any coach who’s smart enough to recognize that the Bucks players’ stats must be considered relative to the reduced minutes their dominance dictates they play will recognize that Khris Middleton is a no-brainer, and that Eric Bledsoe should join him.
Middleton will probably get a coach’s pick, but I’d like to believe Bledsoe can make his way in too. The boost that could give to his confidence would probably help the Bucks heading into the business end of the season too!