Khris Middleton picked an opportune time to deliver a breakout performance.
The 29-year-old forward assumed the Milwaukee Bucks' closer role Sunday, scoring a postseason career-high 38 points in the team's 113-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the East finals. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Middleton became the first Bucks player to score 20 points in the fourth quarter of a playoff game in over 25 years.
So, should Middleton now be recognized as a championship level co-star? The topic was discussed during Monday's edition of the JR SportBrief show.
"Khris Middleton is not James Harden, Anthony Davis, that secondary superstar. But he's been an All-Star," JR said. "And Khris Middleton is good enough -- he's just not consistent enough. But for what we have right now, I wouldn't be surprised if the Milwaukee Bucks won a title. And if they do, they're going to do it with Khris Middleton as their second-best player. I think Khris Middleton is good enough to help the Bucks win a title -- I mean, dammit, they're already there.
"He's going to have some games where he isn't great. When he gets out on the road, he's less of a player. He doesn't put up the same amount of points. He doesn't have the same amount of stats. He's not stat-stuffing. But last night, he did do it -- 38 points when it mattered. And so I believe the Bucks can actually win a championship with Khris Middleton as their secondary player and scorer. So maybe, just maybe, people won't harp so much on super teams..."
The Bucks, which currently own a 2-1 series lead, will play Game 4 on Tuesday night in Atlanta (8:30 p.m. ET tip). According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, Milwaukee has an 88-percent chance of advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1971.
JR's complete thoughts on Middleton and the Bucks-Hawks series can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.