Getty Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton
When you look at the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo is surely the face of that organization.
After all, the Greek Freak is averaging 29.6 points, 13.7 rebounds, 5.8 asssts, 1 block and 1 steal per game.
For those keeping score at home: he’s excelling every year and rising above his career average of 20 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks.
While everyone is paying attention to his MVP caliber year, don’t sleep on his teammate, Khris Middleton.
The NBA All-Star is posting a 21.1 point, 6.2 rebound, 4.1 assist outing which is above his career average of 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest.
On a recent episode of CBS Radio’s Zach Gelb Show, Milwaukee Bucks Team President Peter Feigin sang Middleton’s praises. “You’re talking to the worst guy in the world not to defend the fact that Khris is the most underrated player in the NBA,” he told CBS Radio.
“You can take it from his shooting percentage. You can talk to folks in basketball. This guy plays both ends of the court at a very, very high level. He is the greatest teammate and piece of the puzzle for a guy like Giannis and the ability in the way he shoots.”
Last season, Middleton posted 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists in 77 games last season and was named to the NBA All Star team.
Retired NBA player, Gilbert Arenas wasn’t a fan of Middleton’s selection last season.
“Middleton averaged three fewer points this year,” Arenas told NBA scribe, Landon Buford last summer.
“His field goal percentage is worse, his three-point is worse, his free-throw rate was worse, but he makes the All-Star team? Huh? How? You can’t evaluate things off team success if the individual is not playing that great. Okay, Milwaukee is number one so, we are going to pick the two best players on the team to be in the All-Star game.”
A second round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Texas A&M, on January 30, 2020, Middleton was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve which earned him his second consecutive All-Star selection. Two days prior to his selection, on January 28, 2020, Middleton set a new career-high, scoring 51 points, making 16 of 26 shots, including 7 of 10 on 3-pointers, in a 151–131 victory over the Washington Wizards.
“He’s low-key, he’s quiet, he’s unassuming – but he is an assassin,” Feigin said.
“I think his results are showing he’s an assassin. It’s all about proving it on a national stage and doing it in the playoffs, but I’d be hard-pressed for you to convince me there’s a better 2 in the league than Khris.”
Middleton is part of a Bucks cast that includes not just Antetokounmpo, but also houses twins Brook Lopez and Robin Lopez, Eric Bledsoe, Kyle Korver, Marvin Williams, Ersan Ilyasova, George Hill, Pat Connaughton, Donte DiVincenzo, Sterling Brown and Wesley Matthews on the team’s roster.