One of the first things Damian Lillard did when arrived was to speak with his new Milwaukee Bucks teammates. One of them was Khris Middleton as the two cleared the air on what they expect from each other this coming season.
Obviously, there are going to be some major adjustments now that the Bucks have added another bona fide superstar to the squad, and what’s good to know is that Lillard and Middleton are already on the same page.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Khris Middleton on Damian Lillard’s Expectations
According to Dame, he knows that it’s critical for this new-look squad to “leave room for Khris to be Khris.” This is exactly what he told Middleton when they first spoke, which incidentally, is the same mindset Middleton has in terms of Lillard’s role with the team.
When asked about this pivotal conversation, Middleton said that he didn’t find it difficult to imbibe this type of mindset now that Lillard is in the picture:
“It’s easy,” Middleton said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “I mean, you’ve seen how good that guy is. It would be selfish to try to compete with him for shots and touches when a guy like that wants to come and help us win. Everybody knows that I’m about winning, so I have no problems with putting my pride to the side, sacrificing a couple things for the team to succeed. I think that’s what it’s all about.
“I know this guy, Dame, is coming in happy to be here, wanting to win, wanting to prove himself that he can win a chip also with us. This part is easy for me. I’m counting on him to make the game a lot easier for me with the amount of attention that he creates and has with the ball in his hands and off the ball. I’m excited.”
Less Is More
While some folks might think that it’s going to be a challenge for the Bucks’ newly formed Big 3 to find cohesiveness and chemistry early on, Middleton is taking an entirely different approach. While it is true that there should be growing pains along the way, the three-time All-Star small forward is confident that they will figure things out sooner rather than later.
“I think it’s a little bit less on my plate, which I think is good,” Middleton cotinued. “Sometimes we all need a little bit less on our plate, which is also going to be the same with him. It’s going to be the same with Giannis, and it’s going to be the same with myself. We’ll all have a little bit less of whatever on our plate.”
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