Milwaukee Bucks: 5 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season

5. Khris Middleton will make his first All-Star team

Last season the conference imbalance in the NBA was highlighted in the All-Star team rosters, where players were understandably forced off the Western Conference roster by sheer lack of spots, while in the Eastern Conference players with shaky cases made the team almost by default.

This summer that imbalance only increased, as the number of stars in the Western Conference grew with the movement of Jimmy Butler, Paul George, and Paul Millsap to the West — all Eastern Conference All-Stars this past year. Only Gordon Hayward among the West’s All-Stars made the trek East. As ESPN‘s Tom Haberstroh laid out in July, the stars are entirely weighted in one direction.

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That leaves opportunities for players without sheer star power to find a way onto the team, and Khris Middleton has the ability to do just that. With Milwaukee entering the season with higher expectations, if they can come close to meeting those expectations early in the season, voters will want to acknowledge more than simply Giannis’ role.

Last season it was Jabari Parker who received that recognition, finishing ninth in the voting for Eastern Conference frontcourt players. With three or even four frontcourt spots opening up (if Carmelo Anthony is traded West or drops off), Middleton could join players such as Kristaps Porzingis, Joel Embiid and Gordon Hayward in vying for the open spots.

Fully healthy and with an offseason to expand his game, there is every reason to expect Middleton can score 18 points or more per game on solid percentages, as he did in 2015-16. In an age where defense is increasingly rewarded, his contributions on that end should help his case as well. With coaches selecting the reserves, he can overcome his general anonymity among casual fans to find his way onto the team.

While the future does not hold sure things, it does hold possibility. Khris Middleton has the skills and the opportunity to take hold of that possibility and make it a reality. He will represent the Milwaukee Bucks as their second player selected for the 2018 All-Star game.