"Better player than him" - Bucks Reddit pines for Bradley Beal after $31,666,667 star drops dud in ugly loss

Khris Middleton has been in a slump for the past two years for the Milwaukee Bucks following injuries that hurt his momentum from the team’s NBA title run in 2021. In his most recent game against the Portland Trail Blazers, he put up a scoreless tally on top of one rebound and one assist in 15 minutes of playing time.

It was Middleton’s second zero-point game in his last three outings, both of which ended in losses for the Bucks. Middleton, a former three-time All-Star, has been moved to the bench after being a regular starter for years in Milwaukee.

Khris Middleton channels the ghost of Tony Snell in an ugly loss to the Blazers: 15 MINS │ 0 PTS │ 1 REB │ 1 AST │ 0-2 FG │ 0-1 3P │ 3 PFs byu/YujiDomainExpansion innba

With a dud performance, Middleton, whose contract with the Bucks is worth over $31 million, has been the subject of fan conversations on Reddit. Some compared him with the Phoenix Suns’ Bradley Beal, who was linked to the Bucks for Middleton in trade rumors.

“Beal is ironically a better player than him at the moment,” one fan said.

“I s**t on Bradley Beal more than the average person but the people who seriously acted like swapping Middleton and Portis for him would be a talent downgrade were completely delusional,” said another fan.

“This is why they are interested in Beal,” said another fan.

Meanwhile, other fans said that all hope for Middleton’s return to an All-Star level is over and that the Bucks should seriously look for a replacement to revive their championship chances.

“Dude is done. Like well done and crispy. He should just sit it out so that the Bucks can get credit for another player due to his severe injuries,” one fan said.

“Double ankle surgery will do that, especially at 33. He’s had an insanely great career, gold medalist and ringed. But I don’t see him coming back from the injuries,” said one fan.

“Middleton will continue to have some good games here and there, but it's apparent that his body is cooked and he can no longer be a reliable third option for this team,” said another fan.

Middleton underwent surgeries on both his ankles in the offseason, following others injuries picked on the court. He also suffered an MCL sprain in 2022, hurting the Bucks' championship hopes that year.

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Bucks' Khris Middleton has been playing his worst season since his rookie year

Khris Middleton is in a career slump this season, as he's putting up his worst numbers since his rookie year in the 2012-2013 season with the Detroit Pistons.

Middleton is averaging 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in seven starts this season. His scoring numbers are also the lowest he has ever put up in Milwaukee.

Middleton is also shooting his lowest number of attempts this season since his rookie year, at just 9.1 attempts per game. He's shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from 3.

Since Khris Middleton picked up injuries, the Bucks have leaned on Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dynamic duo to carry the cudgels for the team.