In his second All-Star season, Milwaukee Bucks wing Khris Middleton proved why he’s one of the best No. 2s in the entire NBA.
Behind every great man is a sidekick who’ll do everything they can to elevate their companion. Of course, Batman has Robin, Han Solo has Chewbacca and the Milwaukee Bucks’ reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has Khris Middleton.
Even after earning his second All-Star appearance in as many years, Middleton is somewhat of an unknown commodity around the NBA. The casual fan will know him as “that dude who plays off of Giannis,” but the true hoops heads know Middleton as one of the league’s most efficient three-level scorers in basketball whose unselfish play style and reserved demeanor make him the perfect fit for head coach Mike Budenholzer’s system.
Middleton’s 61.9 percent true shooting is tied with All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard for the highest of any player with at least 800 shots this year. He has the highest individual offensive rating of any Bucks player (113.4) on the 6th best offense in the league.
During his eight seasons as a pro, Middleton has been renowned for his 3-point shooting and profound ability to create space on jumpers from all around the floor. He’s not the greatest athlete or the most powerful body down low, but Middleton is at least good at almost everything on the court.
He’s posting career-high averages in both scoring and rebounding averages while shooting with the best efficiency he’s had thus far. For that, he’s the unquestioned second-star to the league’s MVP and will continue to build his legacy as the season resumes; but before that, let’s celebrate his best games from the season thus far.