LOS ANGELES — Following an individual workout after the Milwaukee Bucks’ first practice in Los Angeles on Thursday, Khris Middleton took a seat on the baseline of the courts in the Student Activities Center on UCLA’s campus with teammates on each side of him. After a member of the Bucks training staff wrapped a bag of ice around each knee, Middleton prepared himself for an interview about the upcoming season bound to focus on a subject that might be awkward for some players to discuss.
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Middleton has talked with reporters twice since training camp got underway two weeks ago. On media day, Middleton spoke at length about the excitement he felt for the upcoming season and the Bucks’ blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard that occurred a few days before. Three days later, Middleton spoke with reporters to explain his slow return to action in training camp following an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee shortly after the Bucks’ first-round exit from last season’s playoffs.
While both media sessions were useful, neither fully addressed the sensitive issue that will be of utmost importance to Middleton in the months ahead: the massive adjustment to his role that inevitably comes with Lillard’s arrival. After three All-Star appearances, five seasons as the Bucks’ second option behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and 10 seasons as Antetokounmpo’s teammate, Middleton likely will be moving down in the team’s pecking order offensively. That’s the reality of the Bucks’ choice to get a player who has been an All-NBA point guard seven times over.
From Ray Allen and the Boston Celtics to Chris Bosh and “the Heatles” in Miami, Kevin Love and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Klay Thompson and the Kevin Durant-era Golden State Warriors on down the star player line, this sort of sacrifice is always a necessary part of the big three experience. And with two members of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team now on the roster, it’s quite clear the Bucks will no longer need to count on Middleton to be Antetokounmpo’s primary pick-and-roll partner in crunch time or be his only other go-to option in the clutch. He will still play a massive role for the Bucks next season, but it likely will be different from what it was during the last half decade.
As Thursday’s discussion between The Athletic and Middleton began, Antetokounmpo made the unorthodox — and comedic — choice to play the part of resident truth teller and media interpreter. He sat down next to Middleton and offered to not only listen to each question that came his teammate’s way but also provide an unfiltered perspective on what each query actually meant.
With a smiling Antetokounmpo listening, and the levity of the moment disguising the touchiness of the topic, the conversation got underway.
I’ll be honest, I’ve spent the last two weeks writing about him (pointing at Antetokounmpo) and that guy (pointing at Lillard on the other side of the gym).
Middleton: Oh, that’s cool.
So I’m curious, for you, what is it like to make the transition to being the “third guy” now?
Antetokounmpo: How do you feel a guy that comes in, he’s an All-Star, top 75, first scorer of a team, and you’re left behind?
Middleton (to Antetokounmpo): No. You’re supposed to answer the question for me!
Ohhh. He’s doing the thing where he’s saying what my questions really mean.
Middleton (to Antetokounmpo): No. You’re supposed to answer for me.
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Antetokounmpo: No, no. You answer. And then I’m going to answer for you after that.
Middleton (to The Athletic): (Laughs) Me being the third guy, I have no problem at all. I mean, these guys are going to make my life easier. I hope I can make their life a little bit easier.
Antetokounmpo: Stop, stop right there. So, you know what? Who gives a f—? I’ve been here on the team 14 years, 12 years, 11 years, going to be 14 at the end of my contract. I’ve made a lot of f—— money. I won a chip for this team. At the end of the day, I’m going to get my 20 no matter what happens. They can do all the work, but I’m going to come in and do what I do. Take the ball down the stretch and score the ball. Next question.
Middleton (laughing): That was close!
After briefly trying to keep a straight face in order to keep the interview going, Antetokounmpo flashed a massive smile and started to laugh while dapping up his longest tenured teammate. Then, as quickly as he volunteered for the position, Antetokounmpo grabbed a few belongings from underneath his seat and gave up his interpreting gig to allow Middleton some privacy to conduct the interview.
(Answers have been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.)
While I know Giannis just answered that question for you, and you both had a good laugh, how much of what he said is how you feel? How would you actually answer that question?
Middleton: Look, those guys, Dame and Giannis, get much of the credit, as they should. They’re two of the best players that this league has ever had. So for me, it’s just coming in and trying to fit, be a role player at times. Just change roles throughout the game, whatever is needed. … Let those guys handle a lot of the heavy lifting, figure out ways I can help, space the defense and make their job a little easier.
Plus, I’ll have my opportunities where I’m able to be me. But I’m leaning on those two guys — I think we all are — to carry a lot of the load, which they want and expect. But they also know that I’m here for them when needed.
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When I was talking with Dame, he said he thought it was cool that you told him that “you gotta be you, and I will get mine.” This will be your 11th season in Milwaukee, and you’re a three-time All-Star, so I think it’s fair to say not everyone would feel that same way. How did you get to that place mentally?
Middleton: It’s easy. 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.
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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.
I think it’s a little bit less on my plate, which I think is good. 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.
It’s probably been a little while since you’ve seen a second-side chance. While I know you haven’t played together a ton, what has it looked like when you have played together?
Middleton: It looks wide open. It looks easy, just because you got Giannis all over the court, Dame all over the court. I mean, they have been getting most of the attention their whole career. (With) Dame, guys are going to guard him all the way to half court, sometimes even without the ball, so there are so many gaps out there. Same thing with Giannis at the rim. Everybody knows what type of threat he is with the ball in his hands and when it’s not, so I think we all see those gaps.
I think me being a shooter and a scorer these last couple years, I’ve gotten some respect as defenses have stayed close to me. Teams are just going to have to find that balance of who to leave, how to leave and how they’re going to guard us. That gives a lot of room to operate, lanes to drive, but it’s going to take time.
The first practice that we had together went well, I think. We saw how easy it can work when we’re all on the same page. But it’s not going to be that easy every day, every night. We just gotta figure out how to communicate and get everybody on the same page.
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What has it been like for you getting used to a new coach in Adrian Griffin? It has been a while since you have needed to do that.
Middleton: I think I’ve had five or six head coaches, so change, I am used to it in some ways just with the different lingo, philosophies, different things like that. But the transition has been smooth. These guys have been great getting everything out of everybody here in the gym, which is great to see. Competitive practices, (how we) want to be great, attention to detail, things like that.
It’s different when you have a coach like we had with J-Kidd (Jason Kidd) that played the game. They see things a little bit differently. (Griffin) is able to point those things out quickly. We know what to expect from him, and I think that’s what makes it easy and a smooth transition when you have a coach that lets you know what he wants out of the practice each day and how hard he wants you to go and what we’re going to get out of it. It’s been great just to learn and see how they do things.
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If you ask me, the playoffs have not always gone your way, but you’ve been in the title contention picture for five years. If you guys are successful, this would be a sixth straight season. Players don’t just get to contend for five years in a row. I mean, Damian has talked about how special this type of opportunity is. What do you feel you’ve learned in those five years?
Middleton: (I’ve learned) not to take this window for granted. Having this window for five, six years, that’s a long time to have a chance to win. It’s disappointing that we have only won one, but that just drives you to go for more, drives you to try to take advantage of the opportunity. However many more years we have left in this window, hopefully it’s four or five, but realistically, you never know. It could be shorter.
Every day, you’re trying to take advantage of that knowing that this window could be over tomorrow. So, come out here, try to be as great as you can, try to perfect your craft and eventually, hopefully that leads to a championship, and that leads to you keep contending for championships year after year.
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Talking with Damian earlier this week, one thing he said stands out to him about this team is the consistency. Every day looks the same. Everyone gets their work in. They go to the weight room. They hop in the cold tub. They do the work day after day. For you, what is it been like to be a leader on a team with this type of established culture where that level of work is just the standard?
Middleton: I learned that early in my career in Detroit and my first couple years in Milwaukee. Build a routine. The organization has made sure that everybody has built a routine where we’re taking care of our bodies in the training room, we’re taking care of our bodies in the weight room and then getting our work in before practice and after practice, whether that’s shooting games, just getting up shots, working on certain moves, whatever. You take that seriously because this is supposed to be the hardest part.
You want games to be as easy as they can be, and the only way that game can be easy and the only way you can be prepared for games is if we do all this stuff before and after practices and after games. That stuff adds up, so that’s why it’s really important to us, especially myself, to have that routine and make sure I’m checking off all the boxes.
There’s always going to be a market for Khris Middleton and you could have signed elsewhere this summer, but you stayed in Milwaukee for three more years. I’m not sure I can say you’re going to retire here at this point, but another contract is a strong commitment. What did it mean to sign another contract with the Bucks?
Middleton: It feels great. It was a little nervous for a little bit, just because the way last year went, the last two years being disappointing. Never want to be in and out of the lineup because of injuries; never want to lose in the first round again.
So, to be back, I’m extremely happy. My family’s happy; I’m happy. I’m excited about the future that we have for these next three years that I’m here, and hopefully we can win a couple more championships. That would be nice.
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When we first reported your knee surgery, the expected timeline had you getting back on the floor at the start of July. What has that process been like? Has anything gone differently than you had expected?
Middleton: Everything is on pace. They took it extremely slow, which was, I think I’ve said this before, not frustrating but annoying just because you feel fine and you want to speed things up, of course, because you feel like superman. But I’ve been on pace for everything thus far. Still on pace with a couple days off because it was planned ahead. Just trying to stay on schedule and make it out there for a couple (preseason) games.
(Photo of Khris Middleton: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)
