This past year has been a wild ride for Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton. The Bucks won their highest total of regular season games since the 1980-81 season, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Toronto Raptors in six games.
For his part, Middleton was named to his first All-Star team, averaging 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting close to 38 percent from the three-point line. After a stellar season, Middleton was rewarded with a five-year, $178 million contract that has since left him speechless:
Words really can’t describe what I’m feeling right now…. but in the meantime #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/Wh8tp0sUhj
— Khris Middleton (@Khris22m) July 11, 2019
Middleton was initially drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 2012, but was shipped to Milwaukee as part of a sign-and-trade that sent Brandon Jennings to the Motor City. While that deal was just one in a series of poorly-executed moves by then-Pistons president Joe Dumars, the Bucks could not be happier with what Middleton has provided for the franchise.
In his six seasons with Milwaukee, Middleton has averaged 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting a combined 45 percent from the field and nearly 39 percent from beyond the arc. He topped 20 points per game last season, and made noticeable strides on the defensive side of the ball this season.
But while Middleton celebrates his lucrative contract, many around the league wondered whether giving him a max deal was worth the risk, given that it essentially cost Milwaukee the cap flexibility to match offers on point guard Malcolm Brogdon.
The Bucks will be banking on Middleton to improve his all-around game as they look to take control of a wide-open Eastern Conference.
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