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Every match-up in the NBA's 82-game schedule presents a new challenge, regardless if you are battling the top dogs or the bottom-feeders. For the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that is still maturing as a unit, they usually have to rely on their best players — namely, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton — to do a lot of heavy-lifting. Having played 18 seasons in the league, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd knows it best.
There's a concern hovering around what Kidd is doing, though: he's approaching Tom Thibodeau level with how demanding he is on his Bucks. His two main guys, Antetokounmpo and Middleton, are now leading the entire league in minutes played, logging in 37.9 and 37.3 minutes per game, respectively.
The exhaustion of the Bucks' pair of leaders are definitely showing more and more. The team has been performing up-and-down all season, which is evident in going 5-5 in its last 10 games, and alternating wins and losses in its last six. In Monday night's 109-96 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Antetokounmpo and Middleton combined to shoot an underwhelming 9-for-23 from the field, while also having four turnovers each for the Bucks.
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That being said, one should also understand just how productive Antetokounmpo (29.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists) and Middleton (20.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists) are, especially with the style that the Bucks prefer to play. They love to clash their towering size against teams with small-ball lineups, and those two fit the roles offensively and defensively.
The 6'10” Antetokounmpo has a young LeBron James-like energy on the floor; he can effectively create shots, play defense, and also be the Bucks' point guard when he wants to. Middleton, on the other hand, is a sweet-shooting swingman, who can be regarded as a lengthy two-way player.
Coach Kidd does demand big minutes, but with that efficiency from Antetokounmpo and Middleton, it's also hard to just throw him the blame.
