3) Opponents Jimmy Butler has dominated: Khris Middleton
In his career to date, the Milwaukee Bucks two-time NBA All-Star selection and 6-foot-7 and 220 pound small forward Khris Middleton has yet to get traction on defeating Butler on a consistent basis. In the regular season, Middleton was less than stellar against Butler, holding a career record of 5-12 in 17 tries.
Middleton also hasn’t fared any better against Butler in the playoffs than he did during the regular season in his run with the Bucks so far (3-8 playoff record vs. Jimmy). Butler averaged 18.3 points per game, 5.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks. He shot 45.4 percent from the field, 35.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 81.7 percent from the free-throw line. Those numbers came in the regular season for Butler against Middleton.
Meanwhile, in the regular season Middleton averaged just 13.2 points per game, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks. He shot 41.1 percent from the field, 37.3 percent from beyond the arc, and an impressive 1.000 percent from the free-throw line. Middleton has made every single one of his more than 20 free-throw attempts he’s had against Butler in the regular season.
In the playoffs, Butler averaged 24.2 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks. He shot 49.7 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 82.5 percent from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Middleton averaged 20.3 points per game, 4.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks, in the playoffs against Butler.
The best illustration of Butler dominating Middleton in the playoffs came when the five-seed Heat knocked off the top-seeded Bucks in the second round of the playoffs in a big upset this year.