Bucks Front-Court Trio Keeping Ship Steady During Middleton Injury

The Milwaukee Bucks have yet to lose a game this season, starting out 5-0 through Monday, despite not having All-Star Khris Middleton at their disposal as he’s nursing a wrist injury.

Needless to say, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been Milwaukee’s saving grace. The former MVP is putting up grotesque numbers, to the tune of 34.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game, while hitting over 60% of his shots on the young season.

Antetokounmpo isn’t the only Milwaukee big who’s stepped up in Middleton’s absence.

Bobby Portis, who enjoyed a breakout season last year, is averaging a double-double on his own of 13.0 points, and 10.2 rebounds. Long-time veteran, Brook Lopez, has gotten off to a tremendous start, netting 13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and a whopping 3.6 blocks per game, while hitting over 35% of his 7.4 nightly three-point attempts.

It’s been an interesting change of role between Lopez and Portis, as historically, Lopez has predominantly been an inside force, and Portis more perimeter adjacent. 63.8% of Lopez’s shots now come from downtown, and Portis has established himself more at the rim than ever before, taking 33.9% of his shots from within three feet of the basket.

Admittedly, Portis has struggled a bit as a jump shooter this year (he’s hit a grand total of 0 jumpers from between 16 feet and the three-point line), so more interior shots could be a way of jumpstarting his offense, but regardless it’s working.

Antetokounmpo, who has generally struggled shooting three over the past half decade, is hitting a career-high 35.3% from range, but those numbers are a bit noisy given the small sample size. However, it’s a percentage worth tracking, as an improved three-point shot would drastically open up his game. A frightening thought in and of itself.

More importantly for Antetokounmpo, however, is that he over the course of the regular season returns to similar efficiency from the foul line as last year. He hit 72.2% last year, a notable improvement from years past, but has dropped down to 61.3% this year, while averaging a career-high 12.4 free throw attempts.

The Bucks are getting perimeter help from Jrue Holiday, who’s averaging 18 points on his own accord, but as is routine when he has to jump in the pecking order, his efficiency suffers from it. Holiday is hitting just 38.2% of his shots, but that should get back closer to normal when Middleton returns.

This group of core players, all producing at a high level, seem additionally motivated this year after losing Game 7 to Boston in last year’s Eastern Conference semi-finals. Middleton missed that whole series, and it’s fair to wonder how far the Bucks would have gotten, had he been healthy. A championship repeat wouldn’t have been an unrealistic expectation.

That’s why it might behoove the Bucks to scale back on the current minutes burden of Antetokounmpo especially. He’s currently playing 34.6 minutes per game, the highest since 2017-2018, and given his relentless playing style, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll have enough in the tank come playoff time if he’s to play similar minutes during the course of a long run.

Right now, however, it’s understandable that he plays a few extra minutes out of necessity to generate the extra production. The Bucks clearly want a lead in the standings for Middleton’s return so they can ease him in slowly, while building momentum.

But, as with anyone great, it can be difficult to suddenly diminish their role when they’re playing as well as Antetokounmpo currently is. The Greek superstar would be an instant MVP winner if the season ended today, and even the most careful coach – a category that has fit Mike Budenholzer in the past – could be inclined to squeeze just a few extra possessions out of him, because he makes the game that much easier.

It would help make that transition easier if Grayson Allen was performing better offensively, as he’s struggled shooting the ball early on. The guard, who found a nice role with the team last year, is hitting just 31.8% from the field, which has forced the offense to flow more through the aforementioned front court trio.

While the Bucks seem capable of managing until Middleton’s return, it does feel like they’re playing a bit with fire. They’re not as young as they used to be, and in case of injury it would seem too optimistic to expect George Hill or Wesley Matthews, both 36, to carry a bigger load.

Giving rookie wing MarJon Beauchamp a few more opportunities, while also stretching Jordan Nwora’s minutes, might result in a few lesser wins, but it would provide the Bucks with both some necessary development minutes for their younger players, and it would give key veterans more time off.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.