Milwaukee Bucks: Khris Middleton is the Bucks’ secret superstar

We all know about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominance, but there’s a less-heralded weapon at the disposal of the Milwaukee Bucks: Khris Middleton, their secret superstar.

The Milwaukee Bucks could win 70 games this season. They’re favorites to win the NBA championship according to most projections. Their best player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is perhaps the best player in the world. But their unheralded secret superstar, Khris Middleton, is a big piece of what makes the Bucks work.

On the majority of teams in the NBA, Middleton could be considered their best player. Playing alongside Antetokounmpo affords him no such accolades. He is the stabilizing force on the floor when Giannis sits or misses games, however.

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Antetokounmpo has missed six games this season, and in his place Middleton has been the fulcrum of the offense while providing sturdy defense. When Antetokounmpo misses games, Middleton is averaging 27.3 points per game on 49.2 percent shooting. He’s rounding out the stat sheet with 7.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game.

The Milwaukee Bucks are a juggernaut when the two players share the floor together. When they’re both playing, the Bucks have a staggering +17.4 net rating. Their offense is reasonable, scoring 115.9 points per 100 possessions, but their defense when they both play is incredible, allowing just 98.5 points per 100.

When Middleton plays without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks still have a net rating of +9.4. On the season, the only team with a better net rating than this is indeed the Bucks themselves. The next best team is the Los Angeles Lakers, more than two full points behind at +7.1.

Middleton has been incredible in Giannis’s absence. In almost 1300 possessions, he has a usage of 33.2 percent, a field goal percentage of 49.9 percent, an effective field goal percentage of 57 percent and his true shooting percentage is 62.4 percent.

Among all players to average more than 20 minutes per game with a usage over 30 percent, both Khris Middleton’s non-Giannis true shooting percentage would rank first in the NBA, just ahead of James Harden‘s 62.2 percent and Giannis’s own 61 percent.

His non-Giannis effective field goal percentage would rank second, behind Giannis’s own 58.8 percent and slightly ahead of LeBron James‘s 55 percent.

While there’s no argument to be made that Khris Middleton is a top-five offensive player with matching defense, there is mounting evidence that he is the best second-best player in the NBA, perhaps on par with Anthony Davis from an impact perspective.

There’s a lot hidden in Middleton’s numbers. His 21.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game are nice, but they don’t necessarily pop off the page at you. He’s a member of the 50/40/90 club with shooting splits of .508/.438/.907, but Malcolm Brogdon was last year as well, and nobody is making these fanciful claims about him.

Middleton fades into the mist when he plays with Giannis, letting his superstar teammate run the show. When they’re on the floor together, Giannis Antetokounmpo has a usage rate of 37.1 percent, just a staggering number. Conversely, Middleton is just shy of 21 percent.

This is what makes Khris Middleton the perfect 1b for Giannis’s 1a as the Milwaukee Bucks fight for history and a championship. He knows his place and his role alongside the best player in the world and fills it flawlessly. When the lights are bright for him, he blazes, but he bides his time waiting for those opportunities to present themselves.

Stats courtesy of PBPStats and NBA Wowy