Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton not among Eastern Conference reserves for All-Star Game

Milwaukee will have just one representative at the NBA All-Star Game next month.

The league announced the reserves Tuesday and forward Khris Middleton did not make the cut.

“I’m a little disappointed, I’m not going to lie,” Middleton said after the Bucks beat Minnesota at Fiserv Forum. “But I definitely want to say congrats to all those guys that did make it.”

Middleton had made the game the last two years but it can be argued that this season has been the best of his career. He’s averaging 20.5 points and six rebounds per game, both of which are just off his career-highs set last season. Other numbers are the best of his time with the Bucks, including shooting 50.5% from the field and handing out 5.7 assists per game. He’s also hitting at a 43.1% clip from beyond the arc, the second-best percentage of his career.

“We feel like Khris is an All-Star. We feel like he deserves it,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “The numbers, and everything, his efficiency, and what he does in a game on both ends of the court is very special.”

Three of the players that beat out Middleton will be first-timers: Boston’s Jaylen Brown, Chicago’s Zach LaVine and New York’s Julius Randle. The rest of the reserves on the Eastern Conference side include Brooklyn’s James Harden, Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Orlando’s Nikola Vučević.

“The other players that made the team are having a great season,” said Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will start his fifth consecutive All-Star Game. “But Khris is an All-Star. Bottom line, he’s an All-Star.”