African fans will have first-hand experience of how Middleton’s game has evolved in the past few years. His offensive game was always steady and respectable with double-digit averages in his early NBA career, but he has since developed into an impressive all-around player and a reliable scoring option for the Milwaukee Bucks. He recorded six 30- and two 40-point games in the regular season as well as multiple double-digit points games to complement Giannis’ numbers.
Middleton will be lining up for Team World when they take on Team Africa in the eagerly anticipated NBA Africa Game on August 4, with his presence an additional offensive edge given his knack for posting double-digit points on a regular basis. The Bucks’ superstar player, Giannis, can afford to have an off night in a Milwaukee jersey and bank on the abilities of Middleton, who averaged a career-high 20.1 points as well as a career-high 5.2 rebounds per game last season. In January he was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after an impressive spell where he averaged 25.3 points as the Bucks went 3-0 in the latter stages of January.
His contributions were key in helping the Bucks secure a playoffs spot in the Eastern Conference. His postseason stats were even more impressive as he averaged 24.7 points per game in the first-round series against the Boston Celtics.
He posted two 30- and four 20-point games in the Boston series to go along with seven consecutive games in which he posted double-digit figures. He was one of the main reasons why the Bucks pushed the Celtics all the way to a Game 7. Middleton scored 23 points in Games 3 and 4 in Milwaukee as the Bucks recorded back-to-back wins to even the series.
The former Detroit Piston was a nuisance for the Celtics as he posted 32 points in the elimination game (Game 7). Overall he posted impressive numbers from beyond the arc as he went 25-for-41 from downtown; this yielded an impressive 61 percent from 3-point range statistic for Middleton, double the percentage he had averaged in the playoffs in the previous two seasons, according to NBA.com.
He’s shown that he is a reliable two-way player and last season proved that he could have more in his locker. The NBA Africa Game will give him an opportunity to show African basketball fans why they should hold him in the highest regard.
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