Middleton has found his way
All-star’s shot crafted outdoors
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Khris Middleton was sitting in the visiting locker room at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto when his phone rang. His father, James, was on the other line and he had some news to share.
The Milwaukee Bucks forward had just been named an all-star for the first time in his career. Congratulations were in order as the two engaged in a short conversation with James telling his son how proud he was of all the hard work and perseverance Khris had demonstrated to reach this point in his seventh NBA season.
During that brief, joy-filled call, the elder Middleton slipped in an inside joke.
“That’s why we didn’t cut those tree limbs down,” he said.
What James was referring to were the tree limbs that hung over the backyard basketball court set up at the Middletons’ home in Charleston, S.C. Every so often when Khris was young, he would complain to his father about the need to remove those limbs so he could shoot freely.
Saturday morning during allstar media day at Charlotte’s Bojangles Coliseum, James recalled
the answer he used to give to his son when the topic of the tree limbs came up.
“No, we’re going to shoot through ‘em,” he said.
Shooting through the tree limbs isn’t just an inside joke anymore, it’s a metaphor for how Khris — an unassuming, unflashy, complementary player — has navigated his way to a level of basketball success few would have predicted.
Being a second-round pick and logging minutes in the G League his first season — the only all-star to ever do so — could have stopped Middleton, but he kept pushing. Getting traded to the Bucks essentially as salary-filler in his second season could have derailed Middleton’s career, but he fought through the change and over time made himself indispensable to his new team. Tearing his left hamstring off the bone in 2016 represented another tree limb in Middleton’s way, costing him most of the 2016-’17 season, but he attacked his rehab and returned a better player.
He may not get the attention of teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo — an MVP frontrunner who is the captain and namesake of their shared all-star team — but Middleton has established himself as one of the Bucks’ leaders along with Antetokounmpo over their six seasons together.
Middleton has been called Milwaukee’s security blanket and an unsung star but didn’t truly break out onto the national scene until last season’s playoffs when he averaged 24.7 points while shooting 59.8 percent overall and 61.0 percent on three-pointers in seven games against the Boston Celtics.
“I’m so happy for Khris,” Antetokounmpo said. “He worked so hard to be here. He definitely deserves everything he gets. It’s just amazing to see the growth in him.”
This season, under new Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, Middleton has met a new challenge. In Budenholzer’s system, he’s been asked to sacrifice more than any of his teammates in the name of collective success. He’s not getting the same types of comfortable, scripted looks — particularly postups and midrange shots that Budenholzer’s scheme tends to avoid — and struggled through one of the worst shooting slumps of his career while figuring out how to adjust.
Individually, it’s been a challenging year for the 27-year-old, though he’s consistently expressed that the struggle has been worthwhile. The Bucks are 43-14 with the best record in the NBA at the all-star break and despite putting up his lowest field-goal percentage to date (43.6 percent), Middleton has accrued some of the best per-36-minute numbers of his career (19.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game).
All the while, his father remained close and available but avoided offering unsolicited advice. Like the tree limbs he left uncut, he knew this was something Khris was capable of figuring out on his own.
“He’s kind of accustomed to fighting through a little bit of adversity or maybe not being recognized as much as he might have liked, but one thing I always told him was that people that need to know will know,” James Middleton said. “You play the game the right way, good things are going to come. He’s been able to adapt in different situations and do what’s best for the team and luckily his game is versatile enough for him to do that and still be productive.”
When it came to all-star voting, the people who needed to know were the NBA’s coaches. They knew, recognized and affirmed Middleton’s value by selecting him as an all-star this season for the first time, sending him to Charlotte, the closest NBA city to his hometown of Charleston about three hours to the south.
That’s added a special layer to an already unforgettable experience as dozens of Middleton’s family and friends — an estimated group north of 30 — flocked to Charlotte to share in the festivities.
With so much family surrounding him for all-star weekend, Khris reflected on their impact in getting him there. It’s not every day that a player willingly takes a smaller role in a contract year and also ascends to the level of an allstar for the first time. He credits his family, particularly his parents, James and Nichelle, for shaping him into the person he’s become. His older sister, Brittney, has been a major influence too and is his manager.
“Just allowed me to be myself,” he said. “My parents always told me be confident but be humble at the same time. Nobody’s perfect, so don’t go out there and try to act like you got to live a perfect life. Be yourself and be happy with it.”
The player Middleton has become is one of the best in the world. In addition to being an all-star, he’s also one of 35 players in the player pool for Team USA for 2018-’20.
Middleton is notably different from most other players on those lists. He isn’t and won’t be the face of a franchise. He’s a star, sure, but he isn’t expected to go supernova. He accepted a smaller role, isn’t a dominating force or personality, doesn’t have standout athleticism, doesn’t need the ball all the time, isn’t a household name, etc.
However, Middleton is living his dream and defying the tree limbs in his way. He’s forced his way into the company of the world’s best players and knows he deserves to be there.
“I don’t think I would trade,” Middleton said when asked which all-star he’d trade places with if he could. “I’m happy with being myself. I like my life. I’m not living through anybody else’s eyes, anybody else’s life; I’m enjoying mine.”
Struggling in three-point contest: Middleton is a very good three-point shooter. At 38.9 percent for his career, he is undoubtedly a threat from long range. However, it’s become apparent the NBA’s three-point contest at allstar weekend just isn’t his thing.
Middleton, the third shooter of 10 on the night, worked his way around the arc but never got into a rhythm, making eight triples and putting up just 11 points of a possible 34 during his 25shot round on Saturday night. That total was the lowest of the night and represented a lower score than Middleton’s 13 points in the 2016 three-point contest.
“Man, they all felt good,” Middleton said, later joking that he might have needed a hand in his face or something. “Just didn’t fall for me. It’s my second time doing it, definitely would love to do it again. Hopefully, I do better next time, but they all felt good so I’ll live with that.”
Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets went on to beat hometown favorite, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, to claim his first three-point contest title and deny Curry from claiming his second.