Aside from a couple of solid performances, the Washington Wizards' bench unit has been a major issue at the start of the season. They haven't been efficient at all, and most of the players are playing well below their capabilities. When they signed Khris Middleton to a three-year deal this offseason, he was expected to provide stability and scoring to the bench unit, but it hasn't happened.
Middleton has fallen off pretty hard this season. Even last season, while showing some signs of slowing down, he still put up 10 points per game on 39.1 percent shooting from three during his second-half stint with the Dallas Mavericks. This year, he's down to averaging 2.4 points on 33.3 percent from the field and 20 percent from three.
Nobody could have projected a drop-off that alarming. The Wizards likely expected him to play a solid role for them off the bench, because the skill set that he's provided throughout his entire career is something that this team needs badly. However, he hasn't given the team a reason to continue utilizing him.
What do the Wizards do with Khris Middleton?
It would be pretty easy to pull the plug on the Middleton experiment. He still provides veteran leadership and championship experience for the young players, and he's a respected voice in the locker room when the team is going through some tough times. But just taking his minutes away and potentially floating his name in trades is probably the simplest solution to the Middleton conundrum.
Making approximately $6 million for the next two seasons after this one, contenders could look to target Middleton on a buy-low and hope that his shooting comes back to form. However, what the Wizards should do, and maybe it's against the grain, is play him more and let him find his way out of the mud he's in.
The Wizards should let Middleton play through his struggles
There's no sugar-coating it. Middleton has been one of the worst players in the entire NBA so far this season. However, I find it hard to believe that he's completely cooked. Look at Brook Lopez on the Los Angeles Clippers; last season, he looked like he might be headed towards retirement, and this season, he's having yet another resurgence.
Bilal Coulibaly has been mostly unplayable on offense, and Justin Champagnie is slated to miss extended time this season. Also, Will Riley is still clearly working through the growing pains of being a young player, despite showing some flashes of real rotational potential. The point is, the wing depth is thin in Washington, and they're in dire need of any form of spacing.
He hasn't been a good shooter this season, but he's been a bucket his entire career. Even now at 35, it's unlikely Middleton has just become a bad shooter. He's also an extremely high-IQ player, and on such a young team, having that on the court matters. The bench isn't giving the team much to look forward to as is, so letting Middleton try to find his form doesn't have much downside.
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