Milwaukee Bucks: 3 biggest surprises at halfway point in season
The Milwaukee Bucks are standing at the halfway mark of the 2020-21 season at an interesting position.
They went into the All-Star break having won six of their last seven games to improved to 22-14 on the season and two games back of the first seed in the Eastern Conference. The fact that the Bucks have underwhelmed by some is of debate, though that comes with the territory after considerably turning over their roster and losing Jrue Holiday for 10 games as he went through his bout with COVID-19.
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Given the circumstances that exist throughout this strange season, the Bucks are still in search of lasting consistency, but are weathering through this 2020-21 season as best as any team can. And along the way, some surprises have emerged.
So without further ado, let’s run through some of the biggest surprises that have emerged from the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2020-21 season so far.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Khris Middleton and his latest All-Star snub
It’s not very often you see players producing at the level that Khris Middleton has this season fail to make an All-Star Game. But that was indeed what happened for the nine-year veteran, despite averaging 20.6 points on .495/.432/.884 shooting, 6.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.1 steals over his 36 appearances.
As we touched on at the time of Middleton falling short in his All-Star bid, a poorly timed slide was one of, if not the biggest contributing factors behind why he didn’t join his teammate and this year’s All-Star Game MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, in Atlanta last weekend.
But considering the hot start Middleton got off to, which certainly helped buoy the Bucks as they navigated through all of their personnel and tactical changes, it would have seemed inconceivable for him to miss out on his third All-Star appearance.
Despite this latest snub, Middleton arguably stands as the biggest player to watch moving forward and as the Bucks prepare for their playoff run. Middleton has stood as the Bucks’ late-game engine all season and with their last three wins having been decided late, they’re getting more comfortable and resilient as they take on such reps this season.
Given his highly efficient, three-level scoring, it’s Middleton who will be tasked with leading the Bucks in critical spots. And he has more motivation to succeed in such spots down the second half of the season.