The 2024-25 NBA season is on the horizon, and the Milwaukee Bucks are ready for action after they spent the offseason tweaking their roster.
By far their biggest addition was Gary Trent Jr., who inked a one-year deal worth the minimum to join forces with Damian Lillard once again. There's no doubt he'll be a significant piece for Milwaukee, but Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes went as far as to name the guard the team's biggest X-factor this coming season.
As highlighted by Hughes, Trent will likely find himself taking on some of the tougher matchups on the defensive end this coming season. He has never been an elite or even well-known defender, so there are questions regarding how well he could fit into that role. If he ups his game defensively and takes on these matchups effectively, it would certainly be a huge boost for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Even then, the biggest X-factor for Milwaukee is Khris Middleton, but more specifically, his health.
Why Khris Middleton, not Gary Trent Jr., is the Bucks' X-factor
Since that dreaded slip in the 2022 NBA Playoffs against the Chicago Bulls that sidelined him with a sprained MCL, Khris Middleton has been hit with injuries over the years. In 2022-23, he appeared in just 33 regular season games. Last season, he played in 55 as he navigated his way through various injuries. Obviously, this has hindered Milwaukee's success quite a bit.
Despite the injuries, Middleton showed that when he's healthy, he's still a silky-smooth scorer who can put up points with the best of them. In six playoff games against the Indiana Pacers, he put up 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 48.2 percent from the floor, trying to keep the Bucks afloat as Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo battled injuries.
Middleton won't put up those numbers on the regular, but if he can still string together points and facilitate at a high level, it could be what this team needs to get back to contention. With so much attention on Giannis and Lillard, Middleton will often be left with a weaker matchup, and it's not controversial to say he can capitalize on those and keep Milwaukee's offense flowing smoothly.
He's the perfect third-fiddle behind those two, and they're one of the best trios in basketball when they are all on the court. The only problem is that they weren't on the court much together last year, and a big part of that was due to Middleton's health. Entering 2024-25, any success this team sees starts with these three being healthy.
Having undergone surgery on both ankles this offseason, there are questions involving how healthy Middleton will be to start the season. However, if he can recover from this and get back to the shape he was in during the NBA Playoffs and stay there, it could be just what the Milwaukee Bucks need to silence their doubters at get back to the mountaintop.
They cannot win another one without him on the court.
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