With 24 games remaining in the regular season, The Milwaukee Bucks sit one game back of the Boston Celtics for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Currently rolling with a 12-game winning streak along with key players coming back whether it be from injury or being newly acquired, the Bucks seem ready to finish the final quarter of the season playing some of the best basketball in the NBA. There are three key players who will be under a microscope by many fans as the Bucks look to achieve the ultimate goal of a championship.
3 Milwaukee Bucks under a microscope following the 2023 All-Star break – Jae Crowder
I get it; you’re probably saying to yourself, “Here goes Courtney talking about Jae Crowder again.” Sorry people, but his acquisition has a couple of key factors.
Jae Crowder is set to play his first NBA game in 285 days, with his last coming on May 15th, 2022 against the Dallas Mavericks. That is quite a layoff for a player whom the Bucks are expecting to be a key piece to a possible championship. However, Crowders’ play will not only be under a microscope from just the Bucks’ perspective but also possibly from other teams as well.
In 2023, Crowder will be an unrestricted free agent and could be a possible target for teams this coming off-season. Crowder will come in highly motivated as well for not only a championship but maybe even a possible high payday this coming off-season. It will be interesting to see what he can do for this Milwaukee Bucks team.
3 Milwaukee Bucks under a microscope following the 2023 All-Star break – Bobby Portis
Prior to suffering a sprained MCL on January 23, Bobby Portis was possibly playing his way to a Sixth Man of The Year Award season. Despite missing those 11 games, Portis still leads the NBA in double-doubles off the bench with 19, per StatMuse.
Even while going 11-0 since his absence, there have been many moments throughout games where Portis has been clearly missed. Portis has been a key player for the Bucks this season particularly with his rebounding off the bench. This season, Portis is averaging a career-high in rebounding with 10.1 per game, including a career-high of 2.6 offensive rebounds per game. That offensive rebound statistic shows just how hard the big man has been hustling this season.
Portis’ return not only provides the Bucks with needed size in the paint but also provides another outside shooting threat as well. Even with a slight dip in 3-point percentage from a year ago, Portis still posts a career average of 37 percent from 3-point range, which makes him a viable threat from the outside as a floor spacer for Giannis Antetokounmpo. It will be interesting to see how Bobby’s mobility will look like coming back from that sprained MCL on the defensive end. However, I think many Bucks fans like myself are fired up for his return to the court.
3 Milwaukee Bucks under a microscope following the 2023 All-Star break – Khris Middleton
Most NBA fans like myself have expressed this same thought; if Khris Middleton does not go down with an injury in the playoffs last year, the Bucks repeat as NBA Champions. This season has been quite a ride for the three-time All-Star so far.
After recovering from the sprained MCL that caused him to miss the remainder of The Playoffs last season; Middleton underwent wrist surgery in July which caused him to miss the first 20 games of this season. Middleton had a bit of a slow start in his first 11 games averaging 11 points per game and shooting 28 percent from 3 even with a minutes restriction. There have definitely been flashes of Middleton coming back into form scoring 20 points or more twice in his last four games off the bench and once again on a minutes restriction.
The Bucks’ championship aspirations truly hinge on Middleton returning to the All-Star level caliber of a player that we know he is capable of. Middleton has evolved into one of the best isolation scorers in the NBA and is downright surgical in the mid-range or as Bucks play-by-play broadcaster Marques Johnson calls it, “His Office”.
Khris Middleton has averaged 20 points per game and has shot over 37 percent from 3-pt range in his past three seasons in Milwaukee. He also has become the absolute perfect running mate with Giannis Antetokounmpo and has proven to be more than trusted to make a basket with the game on the line. The Middleton-Giannis pick-and-roll action has proven to be a major weapon for the Bucks as well in close games in the playoffs.
If Khris Middleton can return anything similar to The Playoff run in 2021; expect another parade rolling thru Downtown Milwaukee come June.