Every NBA team has an alpha dog and a secondary star. The Milwaukee Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo as the alpha and Khris Middleton as the second-in-command. Middleton is a free agent this offseason and his days as a member of the Bucks may come to an end if he opts to look elsewhere for greener pastures.
The Brooklyn Nets could come in and snatch him up, luring him away from the Bucks with a bigger responsibility than feeding off opportunities from the Greek Freak’s drives to the hoop.
Middleton averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the regular season. With the stakes higher in the playoffs, he has elevated his game to the tune of 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists an outing. If he were to carry a heavier load for the Nets, he could take his game another notch higher and be among the top players in the game.
If there’s a player Brooklyn should target in the offseason other than the usual suspects such as Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant, Middleton would be perfect.
Here are three reasons why:
3. Nets can never have enough shooters
The Nets were tied with Milwaukee for 14th in the league in 3-point shooting percentage (35.3 percent) in the regular season and fifth in 3-pointers made (12.8 a game) overall.
Middleton is a career 38.8 percent shooter behind the arc and has made a living making teams pay if they give too much attention to Antetokounmpo’s forays to the hoop. He’s a polished mid-range and post-up scorer — that makes him such a threat from almost anywhere on the court. If he’s fouled while taking a shot, he’s an excellent free-throw shooter. He nails 87.0 percent of them for his career.
His shooting near the basket needs work, but he sticks to his strengths — that’s what the Nets will want from him.
In the playoffs, when defenses are normally at their best, Middleton is deadlier from deep, knocking down 48.5 percent of his threes in 25 playoff games.
2. Defense and playmaking are a plus
Not only is the 6-foot-8 forward a terrific scorer, he can be a headache for opposing teams by being a pesky defender on their best players. Often assigned to guard top wing men such as the aforementioned Durant, Leonard and LeBron James, Middleton won’t back down from any challenge. He can be relied on to lock down a tough assignment when he has to.
He’s also an above-average playmaker as evidenced by his 4.3 dimes nightly average, which ties him for fifth in the league among small forwards. When the ball is in his hands, he can be a decoy or a threat to score. There’s very little that Middleton cannot do.
1. Middleton is the perfect complement to a superstar
Whether D’Angelo Russell becomes a top-tier point guard or the Nets land another superstar in free agency, Middleton will calmly and humbly accept his role and play it to near perfection. He is not a ball-dominant player but will open driving lanes with his shooting and create shots for himself when necessary. As a floor spacer, his game fits seamlessly with most of the league’s top free agents, just as he does with Antetokounmpo.
More importantly, the first-time All-Star can accept a secondary leadership role while allowing another player to take the brunt of the responsibility. He will quietly go about his business and produce on the court consistently. Just ask the Bucks.
Sometimes a team’s stars don’t get along well, but the Nets will have no problem integrating Middleton into their team. He is humble enough to give way to the team’s franchise player. Unlike his role with the Bucks, however, he will have to take on a greater scoring load and lead a less experienced team to the playoffs.
The 27-year old forward would be an asset anywhere he goes, so the Nets have to sweeten the pot as much as possible to acquire Middleton when the free-agency frenzy starts this July.
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