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Khris Middleton will never be the most athletic player on the field or blow people away with his ball handling, but he will get his teammates in the right spots and intelligently manipulate defenders to create opportunities for himself and others.

“He’s a great organizer,” Bobby Portis said. “He is a great leader. He has a big voice that everyone respects. So when you play with him on the court you have to be well organized.

“He’ll make sure you get organized. He will call you if you don’t do your job. I think he came back at a great time, so now we can really move in the right direction to see what works, what lineups work and things like that and get better every day.”

Against the Magic Monday, Middleton only attempted two shots. It was the first time in his career that he played at least 20 minutes in a game and did not score a goal. Still, his teammates raved about how influential he was because of his ability to read the game and make plays for others. These measurements not only concerned the correct swing of the ball to a teammate; he dished out eight assists on Tuesday. Seven of his eight helpers went to Giannis Antetokounmpo, and five of those seven resulted in a dunk for the two-time MVP.

It’s still early in his return, but the Bucks have scored 134.9 points per 100 possessions and allowed 115.7 points per 100 possessions with Middleton, meaning his lineup is plus 19.2 points per 100 possessions in 63 minutes . This success can also be attributed to the fact that Middleton struggled as a scorer in his first three games, shooting just 25 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three games.

Middleton still has a lot to prove in his return, but the Bucks have been undeniably successful so far when he has played.