Milwaukee Bucks: Revisiting Khris Middleton’s crucial 2020-21 goals

Revisiting Khris Middleton’s 2020-21 goals with the Milwaukee Bucks: No. 3 – Improve consistency in playoff performances

This is the one where Middleton may not have truly hit the goal, but it almost didn’t matter. Although the overall consistency may not have always been there, the scoring highs that Middleton hit during the Bucks’ championship run were so high that it made up for some of the lows that he had as well.

Middleton capped off his championship run with a 40-point performance in the Finals, showing he could truly be the number two option on a championship team. On the other hand, he also had an 11-point game in the same Finals series, so it really was a tale of two playoffs for Middleton.

No stat encapsulated that more than his home and road splits in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Middleton was unbelievable at home with a 59.1 true shooting percentage and a +15.2 net rating in 11 home games. That helped the Bucks to a 10-1 record in their home games.

On the road, Middleton still scored over 20 points per game (20.6 at home, 20.1 on the road), but his efficiency dropped to a 51.1 true shooting percentage and posted a -2.1 net rating in 12 road games. Interestingly, Middleton’s usage rate jumped by over three percent in away games, and thus, so did his turnover rate.

I don’t think anyone will look back at Middleton’s performance and complain. Even when his shooting was slumping, he still found ways to be effective and hit big shot after big shot when the Bucks needed him most. A player like Middleton that relies on hitting tough, off-the-dribble shots is prone to some shooting slumps, but the key is to find ways to impact the game even when your shots aren’t falling and that was where Middleton improved compared to past playoff runs.

He has a couple of new goals for the upcoming season and one that remains relatively the same, but if this past season is any indication, Middleton will have a great chance of hitting them.