#3 – The Milwaukee Bucks need more from Khris Middleton
I really cannot stress enough that this doesn’t mean I think Khris Middleton has been bad this season. He’s had his struggles like most on this team but found a nice groove for a good 20 game stretch before hitting a small rough patch again.
But more than the other two listed and anyone on the team not named Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, the Bucks need Middleton to be at or near his best as the regular season winds down and we head into the playoffs. He had a great game against the Miami Heat, including a clutch 3 to bring the lead down to one, so perhaps this is the start of something!
My biggest two complaints about Middleton’s game this season have been turnovers and 3-point shooting. The latter can’t be magically fixed, he just needs to keep shooting. He has the track record of being an elite shooter that we need to just give him the benefit of the doubt.
In fact, his percentages from the different levels on the floor are generally all near what they were last season. The biggest drop-offs from then to now are his shot midrange shots (floater range) and above-the-break 3s, according to Cleaning the Glass.
It’s a six percent drop in his floater range shots but I’m not overly concerned about that anyway.
He’s also seen a six percent drop in above the break 3s. He’s shooting the same (43 percent) on corner 3s this year as he did last year, but above the break 3s, he’s around 35 percent.
From the left wing, he’s at nearly 40 percent on 116 attempts. In the middle and on the right wing, Middleton is under 32 percent. The inconsistency from zone to zone is a bit strange to see, but again, you have to give him the benefit of the doubt given his track record.
Nevertheless, Middleton will have plenty of chances to get his shot going heading into the postseason to defend the title.