Milwaukee Bucks: 3 reasons behind Khris Middleton’s hot scoring start
Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton has been off to his best scoring start this season over his nine-year NBA career.
As the Milwaukee Bucks have found their footing this 2020-21 season, Khris Middleton has been firmly at the middle of their growing success this year.
The two-time All-Star has gotten off to a scorching start to this season and has arguably been the Bucks’ most consistent and balanced performer as they hold a 8-4 record following their 110-101 win over the Detroit Pistons Wednesday night.
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Over his 12 appearances for the season, Middleton is averaging 21.6 points on .544/.471/.939 shooting splits, 6.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists across 31.9 minutes per contest.
While his 12-point performance against the Pistons ran counter to what we’ve seen from him three weeks into his ninth NBA season, Middleton has picked off where he has left off following his career campaign last year.
Now let’s run through the three biggest reasons why Khris Middleton has gotten off to such a glowing start to the 2020-21 season for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Reason no. 1 – Khris Middleton has been lights out from 3-point range
After a 2019-20 season where he went 41.5 percent from three, Middleton has sustained his hot 3-point shooting going into this campaign. Now up to 47.1 percent from long range, Middleton’s shooting stroke has certainly looked pure one-sixth of the way into the season.
Middleton’s success from beyond the arc has come from the usual ways we’ve come to expect from the two-time All-Star.
Per NBA.com/stats, Middleton has been lethal when letting it fly with the ball in his hands as he’s knocked down 13 of his 26 3-point attempts off the dribble. And off the catch, Middleton has sank 19 of his 40 triples to start the season, a mark of 47.5 percent.
No matter the situation, Middleton has been as dynamic of a marksman as ever from long distance. And he continues to excel in flaunting his shooting range as he’s hit 23 of his 45 3-point attempts taken between 25 and 29 feet, good for 51.1 percent. Those marks put Middleton in a class of his own as far as the league’s best shooters go.
There’s no doubt that Middleton’s soaring 3-point percentage will stabilize as his small sample size grows. But he’s as effective and dangerous as ever for opposing teams to cover both on and off the ball and Middleton will continue to lead the Bucks’ 3-point resurgence regardless of the attention that comes his way.