Despite dropping Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are still among the most favored teams to be crowned NBA champion in October.
After finishing as the No. 1 seed, the Bucks are looking to bounce back from being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. However, this year, there is far more on the line than the Bucks' first trip to the NBA Finals since 1974. For Milwaukee, their long-term plans with Giannis might very well depend on how they perform this postseason — and one player in particular.
Over the last three seasons, Khris Middleton has emerged as the second-best player on the Milwaukee Bucks. While Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and Brook Lopez are solid rotational pieces and crucial to the team's success, head coach Mike Budenholzer is certainly not looking at any of them to put up 25 points per game and carry the team's offense whenever The Greek Freak takes a break or has a rare off-game. It is in those moments when Middleton is asked to step up and take on the No. 1 role on offense.
But has Khris Middleton done that to legitimize the Bucks as a true contender for the NBA championship?
While Middleton manages to play his role very well during the regular season, including his fair share of games in which he outperformed the Most Valuable Player from 2019, he has struggled in the postseason. Outside of his ridiculous performance in the epic seven-game series against the Boston Celtics in 2018, Middleton hasn't stepped up enough in the playoffs to help out Giannis.
The first, and most obvious, conclusion deriving from that is that Milwaukee will not win the NBA championship this way. Even though Giannis Antetokounmpo is arguably the best player in the world right now, he can not carry the Bucks to a title all by himself. Middleton needs to play at an All Star level for Milwaukee to make it through the Eastern Conference and win the NBA Finals, which would likely feature a matchup against one of the Los Angeles superstar duos.
On a larger scale, the whole city of Milwaukee and Bucks fans all around the world are constantly reminded by the media that Giannis, the player they drafted in 2013, can become a free agent in 2021.
First off, Giannis Antetokounmpo loves being in Milwaukee. He appreciates the love the city gives him and is grateful that the organization gave him a chance by drafting him in 2013. He has grown with this franchise over the years and turned them into a powerhouse. The Bucks will offer him a supermax contract in the offseason, and perhaps he shows his loyalty big signing it.
Nevertheless, the chance is real that Giannis might leave in 2021. Of course, no Bucks fan likes the sound of that. But thinking that a player of Antetokounmpo's caliber, whose legacy will ultimately be measured by championships, will definitely spend the rest of his career with Milwaukee is flat-out naive.
This is where Khris Middleton becomes the most crucial factor.
Giannis Antetokounmpo will only get better in the upcoming years, and the Bucks have proven they are capable of bringing in quality players who can fill important roles on a championship team. However, what is beyond their control is the performance of Middleton.
Middleton gets paid like the second-best player on the team and, more often than not, performs like that, too. Unfortunately, he does not consistently do it in the playoffs.
Middleton's performance in Game 1 against the Miami Heat was a perfect example of this inconsistency. He was on fire in the first half with 21 points in the first half, only to fade in the second half with just seven as Jimmy Butler took over. While Giannis also deserves blame for a mediocre Game 1, Middleton didn't step up enough as that legit No. 2 guy when the Bucks needed him. This came after Middleton struggled in the first round against the Orlando Magic.
Should the Bucks fall short of their goal once again and Middleton is identified as one of the biggest reasons for that, Giannis might lean toward leaving in 2021. Milwaukee could potentially look at a Middleton upgrade in order to appease Antetokounmpo, but it's unclear how they could do that.
There's no reason for the Bucks to panic just yet. They could easily bounce back and make a run to the championship, with Giannis Antetokounmpo then signing the supermax after that.
But if Khris Middleton cannot live up to expectations and Milwaukee falls short yet again in the playoffs, we very well might see The Greek Freak in another jersey in the near future.
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