Next question.Īfter 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. Take the ball down the stretch and score the ball. They can do all the work, but I’m going to come in and do what I do. At the end of the day, I’m going to get my 20 no matter what happens. 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 hope I can make their life a little bit easier.Īntetokounmpo: Stop, stop right there. I mean, these guys are going to make my life easier. Middleton (to The Athletic): (Laughs) Me being the third guy, I have no problem at all. And then I’m going to answer for you after that. You’re supposed to answer for me.Īntetokounmpo: No, no. He’s doing the thing where he’s saying what my questions really mean. You’re supposed to answer the question for me! So I’m curious, for you, what is it like to make the transition to being the “third guy” now?Īntetokounmpo: 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? 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). With a smiling Antetokounmpo listening, and the levity of the moment disguising the touchiness of the topic, the conversation got underway. 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. 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.Īs 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. 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. That’s the reality of the Bucks’ choice to get a player who has been an All-NBA point guard seven times over.įrom 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. ![]() © 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc.Middleton has talked with reporters twice since training camp got underway two weeks ago. ![]() ![]() The Knicks are already 0-4 against those two teams with six more to play. Their two added games are in the toughest places to win in the Eastern Conference - at Milwaukee, at Boston. The Knicks fly home before their next game Friday in Boston, a matchup in the loser’s bracket that will also count for the regular season.īecause of the In-Season Tournament, the Knicks (12-8) will face the Celtics and Bucks five times apiece. Milwaukee (15-6) advanced to face the Pacers in the semifinals in Vegas on Thursday. ![]() Tom Thibodeau’s squad succumbed to an offensive juggernaut Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament, watching helplessly as the Bucks rained 3s and Giannis Antetokounmpo pounded out a 146-122 blowout. In the end, the only thing the Knicks got out of the commissioner’s beloved NBA Cup was a harder schedule. Tom Thibodeau favorite ready to be ‘great teammate’ in another Knicks chance Knicks star scores 50 in historic night in win over Suns Jalen Brunson’s magical Knicks night is one to watch again and again Julius Randle’s efficiency vision is becoming a Knicks reality
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