If the Bucks can’t have Jabari (sources tell me he’s on vacation; I wonder when he’ll be back?) at least the Bucks can have Khris Middleton. And not just any Khris Middleton: they get the “diamond dimes” version of Khris Middleton, the version that dimes teammates non-stop with his unexpectedly solid playmaking ability. Throw that assist-accumulating prowess in with his bucket-producing midrange game and his defense (who cares about defense though) and you’ve got a player who could accidentally propel the Bucks back into the playoff picture.
The one thing that made me mad about this game is that Middleton only attempted one three-pointer. Now, I’m not saying that he should go into Teletovic Mode and start jacking them up whenever he has the ball back there, but the team should make a concerted effort to get him more looks. That’s easier said than done given how much attention even a returning-from-injury Middleton attracts, but it triggers me when I watch teams that run plays for their shooters and I have to watch the Bucks not even run plays as far as I can tell.