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.
Reason no. 2 – Khris Middleton remains a mid-range master
Middleton has long stood as one of the league’s mid-range scorers and he put in a master class on this front during his All-Star season last year.
Only Chris Paul, LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan made more mid-range jumpers than Middleton last season and the Bucks forward hit such shots at a 52.1 percent clip. Only Paul hit mid-rangers at a better rate as far as high-volume mid-range shooters went last season.
This season, Middleton has been on a similar track as he’s hit 26 of his 54 mid-range jumpers to start the year, good for 48.1 percent.
Middleton’s calm and collected shotmaking from in-between shots has long helped him find his rhythm to the degree where he’s been so lethal from other areas of the floor. And it’s through that where Middleton’s probing and methodical slicing of opposing defenses that has helped his efficiency when operating in pick-and-rolls as he ranks in the 83rd percentile of all players in such situations.
As Middleton aspires to reach the 50-40-90 club after falling agonizingly short of doing so last season, his handle of the mid-range area will be key for him to achieving such a feat this year. And it will only enhance his value to this Bucks team that will need such a diverse scorer like he has long been.
Reason no. 3 – Khris Middleton has never been finishing at the basket
All Bucks fans know of Middleton’s shotmaking prowess and his deadeye shooting from 3-point range. It’s been the basis behind his reliable scoring throughout his time in Milwaukee.
Now, Middleton may be in the middle of the final stage of his scoring evolution, given his success when finishing around the basket. Middleton has converted a remarkable 77.1 percent of his 35 attempts within the restricted area to start the year.
Clearly Middleton’s deft scoring touch has never been in doubt, but the strides that he has made when penetrating towards the basket has been very invigorating to see.
To that point, Middleton is averaging a career-high 7.9 drives per game, which only follows Jrue Holiday and Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time All-Star has finished a blistering 63.9 percent of his 36 driving attempts when getting downhill to the basket.
Of course, Middleton’s downhill attacking doesn’t resemble the likes of Antetokounmpo or even Holiday’s deliberate and poised attacking, but it’s been every bit effective and has given the Bucks another ball handler that get into the teeth of opposing defenses.
Again, this new development doesn’t make Middleton a three-level scoring threat now as he’s established himself as that as he’s gone on to earn multiple All-Star appearances by now. But it goes to show that even a veteran player such as Middleton can always take incremental leaps to fill out his well-rounded skill set and that’s certainly the case here.
With this kind of explosive scoring start to the season, we’ll just have to see where Middleton goes with his play as the year goes along. Whether that leads to another All-Star selection and maybe even his first All-NBA nod remains to be seen, but he’ll certainly keep his sights set on reaching an NBA Finals after the last two years of playoff heartbreak.