Kendrick Perkins makes a shocking claim about Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton ahead of game 7 of Bucks vs Nets.
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This series between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets has turned out to be an entertaining one. Despite the injuries, Kevin Durant and the crew have put up a serious fight, and could yet win this series in 7.
However, the efforts of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton have so far kept the winds blowing in their direction.
Their dominance was especially significant in game-6 of this series. Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer opted to go with a slightly smaller lineup, putting the Greek Freak at the five for this match. And boy did it pay dividends.
Giannis was allowed to play far more on the inside, and ended the game with 30 points and 17 rebounds, and shot 60% from the field. On the outside, Khris Middleton was allowed more space and time with the ball and had a scorching 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Simply put, this lineup shift unlocked the Bucks completely, and the Nets just couldn’t handle it.
The next day, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins made an appearance on the show ‘Get Up’. And while talking about this game, the former player dropped quite the hot take about Milwaukee.
Kendrick Perkins believes Khris Middleton must be the star for the Bucks over Giannis
Yep, he really said it.
To be fair to Big Perk, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s bag can be a bit limited at times. And while the player can be dominant even against the best teams, his troubles from the free-throw line can sometimes make it easy for the opposition to defend him. Essentially, the game just devolves into Hack-a-Freak.
Still being the first option is a massive responsibility, which is why many in the NBA community were looking for the analyst to justify his statement. And to them, Perkins said this. Take a look.
Khris Middleton is Batman and Giannis is Robin when it comes to the Bucks! Don’t @ me and just carry on… https://t.co/b6NteiRArM
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) June 18, 2021
Perk’s points aren’t blasphemous by any means. After all, the system worked in game-6, right?
However, can Khris Middleton do this during every game? Does he have the consistency that every first option on a championship team needs?
Frankly, we don’t think Middleton has quite proven he has what it takes to become the team’s offensive anchor yet. However, if he can keep performing at this level, it would egregious not to follow through on this system.
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