The Milwaukee Bucks re-signed Khris Middleton to a beefy five-year, $178 million deal this summer, but they lost Malcolm Brogdon, who agreed to a sign-and-trade with the Indiana Pacers.

Many Bucks fans resented ownership for giving up on the stout guard, and Brogdon himself even recently threw some shade at Milwaukee, but Middleton never doubted his team could still be great without Brogdon:

“So far, we’ve been special this season. But we know it’s just the regular season,” Middleton told Sam Amick of The Athletic, as the Bucks aim for their win No. 30 on the season before the turn of the calendar year. “That end goal of being the last team standing is our main focus. …We knew exactly what we had coming into this year. We lose Malcolm, a big piece of what we did last year. But the guys we had in the locker room were guys who we still felt could get the job done – without a doubt. We didn’t have any doubts when we looked each other in the face and told ourselves that we were going to be one of the best teams out there.”

The Bucks once again lead the NBA with the best win-loss mark in the league, this time challenging history, winning at a high clip with a record of 29-5.

Brogdon was a third or fourth option for the Bucks, but a key contributor as a capable playmaker, rebounder, defender, and a timely scorer. The Bucks agreed to a four-year, $85 million sign-and-trade deal to send him to Indiana, where he is now making waves. They also lost Nikola Mirotic to Barcelona in an unforeseen chain of events, but they reloaded well by re-signing Brook Lopez and signing his twin brother Robin along with Kyle Korver and Wesley Matthews.

George Hill and second-year guard Donte DiVincenzo have also played key roles in making up for the loss of Brogdon, as Milwaukee has yet to skip a beat without him.