The NBA is a very progressive league. They do things that are not similar to other professional organizations in the United States. It is impressive in some cases. But the NBA still has some archaic things about themselves. With the All-NBA teams, the league deems that players must be a certain position on the court even though the league is now positionless. This seems ridiculous. Because of this dinosaur rule, Middleton got fucked out of being a third-team all NBA player. Even though he had more votes than Russell Westbrook and Ben Simmons, Middleton had votes in both the guard and forward category splitting it up. This is awful.

Middleton deserves better than that, pure and simple. There are a lot of Middleton haters out there, but even those people could agree that Middleton had a better year than Simmons or Westbrook. The Simmons one can be excused a little bit, right? He had a decent enough year if you go by simply stats and defense. But Westbrook? A guy that was hurt for the start of the year then had an awesome two-month stretch before falling apart in the bubble. I realize the bubble isn’t factored in here, but my god, Westbrook as an all-NBA player this year just feels wrong.

This will be more motivation for Middleton next season. The dude seems to be always overlooked. It makes me feel bad because it plays into some of the unnecessary hate he gets from the Bucks’ fanbase. As I’ve said before, Middleton is not flashy or sexy as a basketball player which means those who are casuals think less of him. The real ones understand what Middleton brings to a basketball team. All-NBA teams hold weight. They matter and are important when you look at player’s careers. Middleton not having one this year is a disappointment. He made the team in our eyes.

Charlie.