We’ve said it time and again: Khris Middleton will be integral to the Milwaukee Bucks’ success in 2023-24. With so much attention being given to the team’s new superstar pairing of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard — and rightfully so — it’s almost easy to overlook Middleton’s role for the squad this coming season.
One NBA scout, in particular, has warned the Bucks of this compelling caveat.
Milwaukee Bucks Faced With Big Khris Middleton Question
Chris Mannix of SI recently spoke with an anonymous NBA scout about the Bucks’ chances in the Central Division. While Milwaukee is still expected to finish first over the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. will also be facing a crucial Khris Middleton dilemma:
“Giannis is always going to give Milwaukee an edge. He’s the type of guy that, with a cast of role players around him, is always going to have a chance. The biggest question will be is [Khris] Middleton going to be back to the guy he was closer to two years ago, or is he fading and going to be closer to what we saw last season with all the injuries?” the scout said.
Middleton played a huge role for the Bucks during their 2021 championship run, and it’s hard to deny the notion that the Bucks probably would not have won that chip had it not been for Middleton’s heroics.
The big question now is whether or not he will be able to do it again.
Bucks Dealing With More Issues
Apart from the Middleton dilemma, the scout also pointed out Milwaukee’s lack of athleticism as a potential issue for the team. The anonymous source believes that this could lead to a repeat of last season’s failures — regardless of the fact that Lillard is already in the picture:
“They really lack a ton of athleticism. They have gone with these big rosters. All those bigs make them super slow. It felt like toward the end of last season they had just relied on Giannis’s greatness and an inconsistent East to get that No. 1 seed. That whole upset to the Heat … I don’t know if anybody saw that coming like that, but all year long, teams were looking at the top of the standings thinking, ‘Give us the Bucks. We don’t want to play the Celtics,'” the scout said.
Obviously, the Bucks will want to completely rewrite that narrative this year.
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