The Chicago Bulls are a vastly inferior team to the Milwaukee Bucks. But the main reason why nearly every NBA team is worse than the Bucks is the reigning NBA MVP honoree and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. One other key Bucks player was named to the All-Star reserves, small forward/shooting guard Khris Middleton.
Purely in terms of numbers, the argument between the Chicago Bulls star shooting guard LaVine and the rival Bucks star wing Middleton is pretty even. Middleton is shooting at a better clip from the field and three-point range. But LaVine has more points per game and more assists. He also has a much higher usage rate than Middleton.
The argument for LaVine lies within the fact that Middleton gets a lot of his success from the presence of Giannis. All the open space he has on the floor and the length to which Giannis went to develop his facilitating game makes it so that his teammates benefit greatly. The rest of the supporting cast around Middleton and Giannis is also better than what the Bulls provide LaVine.
There’s also just that excitement factor that LaVine brings to the table compared to Middleton. LaVine is a much more polarizing and athletic shooting guard than Middleton. LaVine also remained healthier than Middleton so far this season. Middleton has come close to missing 10 games already this season. The total numbers for LaVine on offense tend to eclipse that of Middleton (points, assists, offensive boards, etc.).
Having LaVine compete in both the Slam Dunk Contest and the All-Star Game would be special since it’s hosted at the United Center in Chicago.