Milwaukee Bucks: 3 concerns currently looming during the final stretch

Khris Middleton’s struggles are persisting for the Milwaukee Bucks

Among the biggest questions that have been brewing since the Bucks ascended into contending status, one of the largest remains whether Khris Middleton can be a legitimate second superstar. Milwaukee certainly paid him like one as they handed him a five-year, $177.5 million contract in the summer of 2019, but the results have been mixed.

Sticking strictly with this season, Middleton’s play has been inconsistent, particularly throughout the month of April. Statistically, he is having his least productive month scoring the basketball of the season by averaging 19 points on .415/.415/.931 shooting splits. Let’s not get carried away too much here, as those are still great numbers.

However, it is the inconsistency in which he is producing them with. As Giannis Antetokounmpo was sidelined with a knee injury for a brief stretch recently, the team would need Middleton to shoulder more of the load on their Western Conference road trip. In the team’s 122-121 loss to the Golden State Warriors in that stretch, Middleton was fantastic as he nearly elevated the Bucks to victory by scoring 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including 2-of-4 from behind the arc.

In their matchup with the Dallas Mavericks two days later, it was a completely different story as Middleton played one of the worst games of his entire career. Scoring just 14 points on a horrendous 6-for-27 shooting from the floor in the 116-101 loss, saying it was just an off night for the forward would be a massive understatement.

Off nights are bound to happen to players here and there, but these struggles have persisted for Middleton throughout the month. In fact, he is currently locked in a shooting slump right now, going 9-for-27 from the floor for a total of 26 points in his last two contests.

It goes without saying that if the Bucks will overcome the odds and make a deep run in this year’s playoffs, they will need Middleton up to par. This recent string of inconsistent performances causes a sense of reasonable uneasiness from fans in that regard with the playoffs creeping closer. With 16 games left to play before Milwaukee hits the big stage with a chance at redemption, the two-time All-Star must find a groove.

If these struggles carry over into the postseason, the Bucks’ chances of making a run at a championship dip significantly in this star-studded Eastern Conference. Khris Middleton has displayed how great he can be throughout the years, and the team will need the best iteration of him yet this time around.