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The Milwaukee Bucks haven't been playing their best basketball since winning an NBA title a season ago, but that shouldn't be a cause for concern given that they've dealt with several injuries during the season and Brook Lopez has yet to participate in a game besides the first one of the season.
Milwaukee isn't playing bad basketball at all, but for people who have watched them, it is clear that they're not playing the brand of basketball that everyone is used to seeing from this team. They still are one of the favorites to win an NBA title, but they have to come out with some more fire in the second half as they get ready for the playoffs.
Obviously, Brook Lopez will be the one player on this Bucks team who will be questioned the most when he returns, but there are a few other players who must establish themselves and show the world why they are as good as they are.
Let's look at one guy on this Milwaukee Bucks squad who has to show to everyone that he is one of the top players in the NBA once again, and why the way he has been playing basketball for certain games this season is unacceptable.
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The 1 Bucks player with most to prove after 2022 All-Star break
Khris Middleton is the one player on this Bucks team who must show to everyone that he is still one of the top players in the NBA.
All of the Milwaukee Bucks fans who like to attack him and claim he's not good enough to be a second option on a championship team are entirely wrong. He demonstrated a season ago that he can't only be the number two option on a championship team, but also the number one option, as he was a key factor in the Bucks' Eastern Conference Finals victory against the Atlanta Hawks when Giannis was hurt.
Before we go any further, this isn't saying Khris Middleton isn't a good enough option to be the second guy on a championship team, but he does need to play better than he is right now.
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Middleton isn't having a poor year by any means, but he isn't doing the things that every Bucks fan expects from him. He has had nights during the season where he appears to be in a rut and can't seem to get anything to go right. He's shooting the lowest field-goal % of his career, and he's not shooting above-average from three-point range, which he's done in the past.
Khris Middleton is the one player who will have to prove himself after the All-Star break if the Milwaukee Bucks are to repeat their success from a year ago. They'll need him to continue to be the high-level player that everyone knows he can be.
When you think about it, it's understandable why Middleton is having trouble with this Bucks squad this year. A season ago, he won an NBA championship, and the next day, he was on a plane to the Olympics. He hasn't had much downtime this year, which isn't going to help him play the basketball everyone knows he can.
In the regular season, Milwaukee doesn't really need him to play his best basketball, but in the playoffs, they'll be leaning on him to produce. If anyone watched this Milwaukee Bucks team play last year, there's no reason to believe he won't be that elite scoring option for them again this season.
It wouldn't be fair to claim that he has the most to prove, given that he has already proved all that an NBA player can only hope to do. He's one of those players who has been nominated to the All-Star team three times and has also won an NBA championship. Many players in this league would do anything to have Khris Middleton's accolades, but the fact is that he isn't playing the basketball that everyone is used to watching.
There will be a few other individuals who will be questioned for this Milwaukee Bucks team, but it will primarily be Brook Lopez. If Brook Lopez doesn't' return healthy and serviceable, the Bucks will have a difficult time winning a championship. Winning an NBA title is never easy, but the Bucks must have high expectations for what they can do in the playoffs if Brook Lopez does return healthy.
Khris Middleton needs to be a lot better than he was in the first half of the season, and there's no reason to mistrust him at this point. He's done all the city could ask of him, and now all he needs to do is return to being the Khris Middleton that everyone knows and loves.
