[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

People tend to view the Bucks as a one superstar team. Despite the fact that Middleton is having a phenomenal individual season in his own right (21.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4.1 apg, 49.9 FG%, 41.8 3PT%, 90.8 FT%) he is clearly overshadowed by Giannis and you rarely hear his name brought up among the elite wing players in the league. But I have a strong feeling that this postseason will be Middleton’s chance to change all that, and I also feel that he will have to if the Bucks want to win a championship.

To be clear, Giannis is clearly the alpha on the team. The Bucks offensive philosophy is built around his ability to attack to the basket, create havoc and suck the defense in to create open three 3 point attempts. There hasn’t been a better scorer in the paint since peak Lebron. Against the majority of NBA teams it works great. However, the Raptors showed the vulnerability of this strategy in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. They were able to keep Giannis out of the paint much better than any other team and the Bucks didn’t really have a plan B to adjust. They weren’t able to generate the clean looks that they did throughout the season and Giannis was forced to shoot more outside jumpers than he was comfortable taking. But even though Giannis was somewhat held down, it was the absence of production from Middleton that really did Milwaukee in. Outside of a big game 3 in a blow out loss, Middleton’s offensive production was basically non-existent in the series. Milwaukee proved to be one-dimensional to beat Toronto, because Middleton couldn’t give them the extra dimension that they needed.

While Giannis is a better player than he was a season ago, there are still clear weaknesses to his game that the best defensive teams can expose and exploit. He is still not a consistent shooter and his free throw shooting has actually declined pretty drastically since last year. He doesn’t really have a go to move to get a bucket besides just barreling to the basket. While Giannis is clearly their best player, Middleton is probably their best option in a go to situation where they need a bucket. He has a smooth and refined mid-range game and is deadly from 3 point range. He can also get to the rim and create open looks off pin downs and penetration. If a team is able to slow down the Bucks in transition and keep Giannis out of the paint, the Bucks can pivot and run their offense through Middleton, possibly using Giannis as a screener more to open the floor. They have experimented with this throughout the season with promising results. However, for this to work Middleton needs to step up and meet the occasion. He is having a tremendous season thus far, but he needs to be just as good or better in the playoffs. This will be his moment to prove he belongs in that elite discussion and Milwaukee’s title chances will likely depend on it.

[RUDEBOY-Participant]

milwaukee leads the nba in rebounding,3 point % ..they can go 12 deep..the only team with more depth is the clippers…
yeah Middleton is the bucks 2nd best player…he’s finally getting the recognition he deserves…..with Middleton u know what your going to get…

5 things I think Milwaukee’s championship hopes lies …

1.bledsoe- does a great job of getting into the lane..1 of the best shot creators and defenders in the nba..but Bledsoe is 1 of those players whose on court antics,attitude and immaturity can help his team or opposing team win a game…if he can control his temper and become more consistent offensively ,it could increase the bucks chances to win the title….

2.brook lopez–should finish in the top 10 for dpoy..brook is only allowing teams to shoot 44.1% within 6 feet of the rim…his 3 point % has dipped this season….down from 36% in 2018-19 season to 29% this year…regaining that outside touch will draw bigs like embiid,siakam and bam away from the basket….

3.donte divincenzo- has emerged as 1 of Milwaukee’s best subs….donte does his best work off the ball….when he’s on the floor Milwaukee outscores their opponents by 13.9 points …donte isn’t great in any 1 area,but does the little things that don’t show up in the boxscore….but helps a team win games…..

4.lack of athleticism and age….
5.george hill- hill currently leads nba in 3 point %..but has struggled the last few years in the playoffs…….

[OhCanada-Participant]

They will need to score in the halfcourt. Teams will full court press then set up zone to wall off Giannis. Bledsoe will have to make his open shots and Middleton will have to be able to create. If I were them I would play extra aggressive defense and try to generate turnovers.

[Author]

Posts