Ask anyone familiar with the Milwaukee Bucks and they'll tell you Khris Middleton has been their best shooter and arguably one of the best two-way players in the league.
The guy who was once seen as just a spot-up shooter in his first few seasons is now so much more: Middleton is the backbone of everything Milwaukee and newly-extended GM Jon Horst have built.
And that's why he should stay, no matter the cost.
Here are three more reasons the Bucks cannot allow Khris Middleton to leave this summer in free agency.
An underrated, underappreciated star
Khris Middleton is someone who many leave out of the conversation when talking about the best guards in the East. His numbers of 18/6/4 this past season were solid, but they didn't tell the entire story, nor did and his slashes of 44/38/84.
For a 6'8 guard/forward, he moves with the ball really well and always looks for great shots over good jumpers. While he only shot 44% from the field this season, Middleton's shot selection has improved tremendously since he came into the league seven years ago. He no longer settles for contested threes and instead chooses elbow jumpers or his lethal baseline stepback to create space.
Middleton is also an exceptional defender. He moves his feet well, has the length to contest any shot from an opponent under 7'0, and has never been one to back down from the opposing team's best offensive player — you'll find many moments of him guarding top-10 players in the NBA.
That's not a coincidence: his work ethic goes way beyond the minutes he gives Milwaukee on a nightly basis, and his talent as an all-around player is elite, yet unrecognized by the casual fan.
Milwaukee won't find another player better for their system
The plan this year was clear as glass: build this team around Giannis Antetokounmpo and when he's not open inside, kick it out for a three.
Nobody benefited more from this than Middleton, who connected on 179 of his 474 threes this season — new career highs for both. Sure, some will say he settled, but others will say he adapted to the offense and change his game for the better.
It isn't often that you're able to go from a role player to the second-option on a championship caliber team, but Middleton took that leap this year from being just another solid player to being one of the best two-guards in the Association.
With that said, they won't find anyone who will thrive in the role nearly as much as Khris Middleton will.
Khris Middleton deserves to be part of the ride
What ride? The Bucks' potential ride to the Finals in the next 5-7 years. They're 12-deep, have a top-5 player in the league who's only 24 years old, and they have the cap space to sign veterans who know how to win ball games.
Khris Middleton has been with the Bucks since 2013 when he was shipped to Milwaukee as part of the Brandon Jennings-Brandon Knight trade. Six years later, Jennings isn't in the league, and Brandon Knight hasn't averaged double-figures in scoring in three years (after averaging 11+ in his first six).
Middleton has never been in the news for complaining, has always played the game the right way by never intentionally going after someone, and is viewed as one of the more laid back players in the NBA.
He's paid his dues, and the last two seasons exemplified that. Whatever it takes, he deserves an extension with the Bucks, and Milwaukee would be wise to go about his free agency in any other way.
Follow Us
Subscribe