One could argue that apart from Damian Lillard himself, it’s Khris Middleton who’s had to make the biggest adjustment upon Dame’s arrival with the Milwaukee Bucks. After all, Middleton was demoted to a third option for the squad after serving as the Robin to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Batman over the past several years.
Giannis Praises Khris Middleton’s Acceptance of His Role for Milwaukee Bucks.
Let’s also not forget that Middleton underwent surgery on his problematic right knee, which required a hard minutes cap early in the season to aid in his road to recovery. Through it all, Middleton prevailed.
Bucks talisman Giannis Antetokounmpo has nothing but high praise for his star teammate. Giannis credits Middleton’s professionalism as the key factor to the latter’s success in his new role:
“Dame has the ball, I have the ball and maybe [Middleton] has the ball a little bit less,” Antetokounmpo said, via Jamal Collier of ESPN. “But at the end of the day, he’s a professional. He knows what it takes to win. He knows his role. There’s going to be times down the stretch where he has to score the ball for us. And he knows that. He stays ready for that.
“Throughout this whole season, he’s been playing his role perfectly. You could not ask for more. The minutes that he’s been given, and those are going up slowly, slowly, slowly. Maybe one day he can play back-to-backs. But right now I think Khris is doing an unbelievable job, being mature, being OK with his role and playing the game the right way.”
I see no lies here. Middleton is a true professional in every sense of the word. A lesser man would have sulked with this demotion, which may have resulted in a disastrous scenario. Not Khris, though.
“That’s part of my role now,” Middleton said. “Figuring out when to be aggressive, when to be a playmaker and when just to fit in.”
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