Khris Middleton Thread

[theFireBlanket]

Coaching makes a difference too. Giannis is out game 5, on the heels of Middleton having a hot game. Why did Bud approve iso-Middleton vs moving the ball like in game 4? If not, why not point it out & stop the damage?

8/25 isn't the way to go out. Somenone could've told Khris you don't have to force it, make plays & take rhythm shots. But that's playing him like he's Giannis & he isn't. With Brook having 7/16 attempts & Eric 2/12. DDV only 9 attempts despite being on better than Bledsoe or Hill 1/8..


Also, why the hell were Robin & Ersan written off for the series? They're glue guys, a few shots, plays & stops from them is rest/fuel for everyone. I never got that.

[DingleJerry]

Sure, there are guys better. If only you could snap your fingers and just have them like seems to be implied.

[emunney]

Middleton one of the rare top 15 players in the league to not have the responsibility of being a top 15 player in the league. All while being paid the 7th highest total in the league. What a **** life.

What is this 7th highest total based on? Can't figure it out. 19th highest this year fwiw.

[blazza18]

Middleton one of the rare top 15 players in the league to not have the responsibility of being a top 15 player in the league. All while being paid the 7th highest total in the league. What a **** life.

What is this 7th highest total based on? Can't figure it out. 19th highest this year fwiw.

Total sum. He's 13th in AAV.

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/contracts/

[DavidDunn21]

My good friend Kane carrying ALL the water for Khris. Comparing his five game stats favorably to Tatum. The other day it was minimizing the superiority of Beal.

I have no idea why people want to actively avoid the lesson here.

"Hey Paul George is also a fraud!"

What's that got to do with us?

"This Tyler Herro love is out of control"

What's that got to do with us?

"You think Brogdon would've done any better?"

WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING ANYMORE? Are we really just gonna pretend a whole other year that we're talented enough to win?

Kudos to Win in 6 who said a couple of days ago that we officially can't turn up our nose at Derrick Rose level scorer guys anymore. At least they get it.



Sent from my moto g(7) power using RealGM mobile app

[Shaffty]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[DutchManDanFan]

So how bad is his contract? He has the 17th highest contract this year and next. He gets almost 4 M more then no 30 this year and a little over 4 M more then no 30 next year.

https://hoopshype.com/salaries/players/

[sidney lanier]

So how bad is his contract? He has the 17th highest contract this year and next. He gets almost 4 M more then no 30 this year and a little over 4 M more then no 30 next year.

https://hoopshype.com/

I think there's a lesson here, and it's that in a rapidly changing environment conventional wisdom gets outstripped by events. A lot of people were dazed by the mere fact of 5/$178 for a second rounder. He's still not the best value in the NBA, but what the hell, he's making a million less than Tobias Harris this year.

My point is that the deal, while never the bargain of the century, keeps looking better and better for the team and for us fans. Things change over time, and when you assess something now it's hard to think about how things will change around it as time passes. I remember reading an article in Barron's decades ago in which the author scoffed at the market valuation of eBay. He compared it to Tiffany's, which after all even had a building so must be worth a lot more. Sometimes scoffing is the wrong answer.

[TroyD92]

So how bad is his contract? He has the 17th highest contract this year and next. He gets almost 4 M more then no 30 this year and a little over 4 M more then no 30 next year.

https://hoopshype.com/

He's probably borderline top 15 player atm so its probably a pretty great contract.

[SirChurros]

So how bad is his contract? He has the 17th highest contract this year and next. He gets almost 4 M more then no 30 this year and a little over 4 M more then no 30 next year.

https://hoopshype.com/

You have to be trolling to post this now, right?

[skones]

So how bad is his contract? He has the 17th highest contract this year and next. He gets almost 4 M more then no 30 this year and a little over 4 M more then no 30 next year.

https://hoopshype.com/

It's not bad.

[DavidDunn21]

Just remember: Everyone looks good when they're hitting 75% of their 3s. Lol on everyone losing their minds after two regular season games. Go backwards through Khris' game logs in your head. He's a fundamentally streaky player. But of course these games are the new normal. That stuff every postseason is the outlier.

So what have we learned from his postseasons vs. regular seasons? If he's in shape (which he is right now but hasn't been in the past) there are two major parts of his arsenal that will get him numbers now but won't carry forward in the same way:

1. His general hunting for foul calls. Falling down on 3 pointers and mid-range pump fake jump into the defender calls. He gets a few of these in the playoffs, but not at nearly the same rate. In the playoffs you risk the opposition going the other way for a dunk if you don't really sell that stuff.

2. His lay-up and floater package. This really fell off the cliff against Miami because as we all know, Khris is a bad athlete. These finger rolls that are being released well below the rim in a well-spaced regular season game were getting blocked or bouncing off under playoff intensity. He simply doesn't have another athletic gear to shift into. If he's red-hot, great. If not, it's difficult for him to be effective.

3. His playmaking. Everything mentioned above along with his bad dribbling means that him leaving his feet to pass isn't a great idea over the course of a seven game series. He still has his height and length which is used well in making deep over the top post passes to a cutting Brook or Giannis, but Khris' playmaking is a bonus in the playoffs, not something to be relied on.

With all that being said, we're firmly in the poker game now because Jrue is just that good. We're getting all the leadership qualities we coveted in Chris Paul in a younger body. I'm pretty confident even whatever Giannis is going through right now Jrue will mitigate. It's telling that both he and Khris wanted the ball on that second to last play against Boston. Bledsoe knew better. So now we have all kinds of options at the end of games aside from throw the ball to Khris in the corner and watch him shoot after the buzzer. I also have full confidence that Holiday isn't afraid to overrule Bud if need be.

[theFireBlanket]

Should've predicted a regular season MVP for Khris rather than FMVP. Of course he can still win both.

[MiltownHawkeye]

I had a feeling Jrue being on the team would elevate Middleton's game, didn't think he'd look like a top 10 player. Aside from the hot shooting he just looks quicker and more decisive on offense, plus it seems like he's seeing the floor way better when he has the ball in his hands. I'm still not totally convinced he's leveled up THIS much but it's still exciting.

[skones]

Imagine watching a player come as close as humanly possible to a 50/40/90 season as Khris did last year, which in and of itself shows the model of consistency in the NBA, only to insist he is "fundamentally streaky" as if other players around the league are less so. Imagine watching last years playoffs and looking at the landscape of "#2s" across the league and thinking, "Wow, Middleton just ain't it" while your #1 is shooting your team out of ball games by consistently forcing the issue by running straight into a wall and jacking up threes.

I've linked a simpler way to do things HERE

[th87]

It would be an insane gamble, but I wonder if this makes Harden more attainable.

[theFireBlanket]

It would be an insane gamble, but I wonder if this makes Harden more attainable.

Hope Giannis has been thoroughly telling everyone that he doesn't want to play with him.

[MissKhriddleton]

Khris looks great so far. But it really cannot be stressed enough - regular season performance means absolutely zero for this team. 27 points per game at 50/40/90 is worthless if it’s followed with 13 ppg in the ECF.

Y’all can toot your horns and tell people to eat crow after each game in what is essentially a 72 game preseason if you want. The real test begins in May.

[thonnisbeastley]

The Middleton ball lickers are hilarious. He's always been a good player, but some of you have thought he's a top 15 player for the last few seasons. He wasn't. He had an incredibly efficient season last year (because of the space Giannis provided him) and earned his all-star spot. The season prior, he wasn't deserving and earned it off the back of Giannis. He didn't deserve that contract. That being said, he looked like a completely different player against the Warriors than we've seen throughout his career. When has Middleton ever attacked the rim or blown past defenders? Never. Being in shape to start the season clearly makes a huge difference in his game, as this is only the 2nd time that has happened. I hope he can sustain this level of play and live up to his contract...but we're two games in. And he'll have to not suck in the playoffs for once to get us over the hump and make me a true believer. Though I am extremely impressed thus far.

[ReasonablySober]

LOL the takes in this one are amazingly bad.