Milwaukee Bucks: Who are their biggest X-factors with playoffs nearing?

Khris Middleton’s playoff consistency will be an X-factor for the Milwaukee Bucks

Can Khris Middleton be the second-best player for the Bucks on their quest for a championship? That burning question has loomed over the franchise for the past several years since their rise to contention, and so far, the answer has been no.

He has been a sensational talent in the regular season, but the playoffs have been hit or miss for Middleton. While Budenholzer justifiably receives the lion’s share of the blame for Milwaukee’s implosion in the East Finals against the Raptors in 2019, Middleton has also been criticized for regressing and averaging just 13.7 points in that same series.

In last year’s playoffs, Middleton was solid as he averaged 20.3 points over 10 games. However, his efficiency dipped tremendously compared to the near 50-40-90 splits he had in the regular season as he shot just 39.4 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from deep.

This time around, the Bucks cannot have these inconsistent performances from Middleton. With Jrue Holiday now in the fold, the forward might even slide down to occupy that third fiddle role in a postseason scenario. Either way, the Bucks cannot win a championship if the former All-Star struggles to elevate his game in the playoffs.

Much like DiVincenzo, he has been plagued by his own inconsistencies throughout April, having some great games but also many awful showings. With the regular season nearing an end, Middleton must find a nice rhythm before the Bucks head into the postseason, or they will likely be doomed to suffer the same fate as the past two seasons.