Milwaukee Bucks: Why Khris Middleton is a vital part of early success

The Milwaukee Bucks are off to a hot start this season and currently tied for the second-best record in the NBA. While there are plenty of causes for this success, Khris Middleton is emerging at one top reasons due to his stellar performances.

When you think of the Milwaukee Bucks, the first name that pops into your mind is Giannis Antetokounmpo. That thought is not without warrant since he’s a top-10 player in the NBA and an MVP frontrunner.

Averaging 26.1 points, 13.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per games through the first eight games of the season, it is obvious the Greek Freak is the heart of the Bucks basketball.

However, even Batman needed Robin to defeat the villains of Gotham. In order for Giannis to do the same in the Eastern Conference, he will need a wingman to help burden. Despite his greatness the past couple years, he and the Bucks haven’t gotten out of the first round of the playoffs.

Thankfully, it is looking different in Milwaukee this year, and the Bucks are off to a 7-1 start to the season. This is because Khris Middleton has made strides towards becoming Giannis’ wingman and is, potentially,  the most important part of the Bucks’ success this season.

Middleton’s incredible offensive start to the season has made him one of the best scorers in the NBA, something the Bucks need.

To be clear, Middleton’s incredible start to the season has been forthcoming. He averaged 20.1 points a game last year on a stellar .466/.359/.884 shooting splits and was clearly one of the best scorers in the NBA, even if he did not get the recognition he deserved.

The difference is that Middleton has gone from a great scorer to an incredible scorer so far in the 2018-19 season. He’s still averaging 20.1 points per game on nearly identical percentages of 46.8 percent from the floor and 87.5 percent from the charity stripe, but what stands out are his 3-point numbers. Middleton is shooting almost 50.8 percent from behind the 3-point line on 7.6 attempts per game this season. That’s the second-best mark of players who have taken over 60 3s this season.

Beside the 3-point shooting, Middleton’s ability to create shots for himself have given Milwaukee another dimension to its offense. Even with the great shooting numbers, Middleton is taking 48 percent of his shots off pull-ups, which is often referred to as the hardest shot in the game. Despite that, he is hitting those pull-ups at an amazing 46 percent clip. By assisting Giannis with the scoring duties without needing any help, Middleton is able to be a scorer that can be counted on any situation.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best player on the Milwaukee Bucks, there’s no question about that. He does too many things too well to not be. Regardless, he can’t do everything himself. If Middleton can continue to be the No. 2 option, and do so this efficiently, there’s no telling just how good the Bucks can be this season.