Beyond All-Star buzz and his career-high game, Khris Middleton‘s outstanding season with the Milwaukee Bucks needs to be reframed as something bigger.
Is Khris Middleton underrated? When will people finally recognize just how good Middleton actually is? At what point will his detractors be forced to simply swallow their pride along with a large slice of humble pie?
At this point, those kind of questions feel like they’re as old as time. Specifically, the discussion about whether Middleton is underrated has tracked through different stages of his development from the early points of his Milwaukee Bucks days up until now.
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That in its own right should tell us something and yet it almost always seems to go unsaid. The reason Middleton seems to become underrated again every 12 to 24 months or so is because he continues to level up as a player and move into different brackets of elite players.
What once was a talking point that centered around the value he had to offer as a 3-and-D specialist, has now evolved to the point where the question is whether Middleton is afforded adequate respect relative to other star caliber players around the NBA.
At present, that is undoubtedly wrapped up in whether Middleton will make his second consecutive All-Star appearance when the coaches’ picks are revealed on Thursday. Having set a new career-high of 51 points on Thursday night against the Washington Wizards, it’s virtually unthinkable to imagine Middleton not making that final cut.
That conversation in itself does Middleton a disservice, though. There should be no question of his merit for an All-Star spot. He’s the second best player on what’s tracking to be just the third 70-win team in NBA history, and he’s currently averaging 20-6-4 on 50-40-90 shooting splits.
Considering that he’s only averaging 28.8 minutes per game to do that only further highlights the absurdity of just how good Middleton has been this year. With per 36 minute averages of 25.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.2 steals, to go along with his incredibly efficient shooting, it’s time for the discourse around Middleton to be reframed.
This is undoubtedly an All-Star season, but beyond that it’s the caliber of campaign that should earn him real All-NBA consideration if it can sustain for the remainder of the season too.
With Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin out of the running from the group of forwards who made All-NBA teams last year, Middleton should be right in the mix for what’s one of the ultimate accolades an NBA player can earn.
Even those who’ve long believed in Middleton, myself included, would never have imagined his play approaching that kind of level, but it’s a reality now. Playing in Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s shadow certainly can’t be easy on an individual level, and that’s clearly reflected in the wider perception of what Middleton is as a player.
Having earned a colossal new contract last summer, Middleton is living up to that deal, and then some, this season.
On an individual level, this campaign should have every chance with ending up with cause for celebration beyond what should be an inevitable All-Star berth. Of course, if Middleton keeps playing like this, the Bucks’ chances of achieving the ultimate team success will sky-rocket too.