Milwaukee Bucks trio of Giannis, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton cited as one of the NBA's elite

The question, though, is can Khris Middleton regain his form?

© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Through the years, the NBA has shifted to becoming a league that embraces offense more than defense. Whereas the 90s and the early 2000s were dominated by defensive-minded teams, the last decade has seen a shift to small ball and high scoring.

One of the leaders in this transformation is Milwaukee's trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton. The Bucks have become one of the NBA's best teams over the past three seasons due to their dynamic offensive capabilities, which can ring up the scoreboard on any given game. A report by Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report has cited the Bucks’ trio as one of the league’s elite, which is actually a drop-down from their lofty perch atop the rankings last season.

Injury-plagued

While the duo of Giannis and Jrue is considered one of the best in the league, adding Middleton to the equation actually is a step back for the Bucks. This is because the 11-year-veteran averaged just 15.1 points per game last season—the lowest mark since 2017, when he normed 14.7 points per outing.

More than anything, Middleton hardly played in the regular season, as injuries limited him to just 33 games. Swartz said that the Bucks are banking on a comeback season from Middleton, as his health and production will be pivotal for the team’s success.

“The Bucks have to hope last season was a fluke from Middleton, who battled injuries while only averaging 15.1 points with an effective field-goal percentage of 49.9 percent. Giving the soon-to-be 32-year-old a three-year, $93 million contract that can top $100 million with incentives shows Milwaukee believes he can still be an All-Star caliber player,” Swartz wrote.

On this day in 2021 the Bucks Big 3 combined for :

88 PTS
20 REB
24 AST
38/66 FG (58%)

To Beat the Suns in the Game 5 of the NBA Finals and go up 3-2 on the road... pic.twitter.com/1vIwLzQEcX

— Bucks Muse (@BucksMuse) July 17, 2023

Significant drop

As mentioned, Giannis and Jrue are one of the best duos in the entire Association, and adding Middleton significantly drops their rating.

“While Antetokounmpo and Holiday ranked No. 2 in our star duos, adding Middleton to the core actually dropped the Bucks' net rating last season from plus-14.3 to plus-10.6,” Swartz explained. “This is still one of the elite trios in the NBA, but it should no longer be considered the best.”

Middleton had a knee procedure right after the Bucks were eliminated from the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The procedure was done to address any issues that hindered the wingman from playing his best basketball. The good news for the Bucks and their fans is that Middleton is expected to come to training camp in October healthy and raring to redeem himself.