Last week on a podcast I do called Daily Tap, we discussed how no one really like Khris Middleton. Fans think he does not deserve the title of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s second banana. The expectations are sky high for him. Couple of my friends expected him to score 30 when Giannis had an off night in Oklahoma City. That’s an unrealistic expectation against a team like the Thunder who are damn good defensively. But that’s the type of shit Middleton gets all of the time from Bucks fans. They always want him to be better. It is due to the way he plays the game is very under-the-radar, but the guy does more little things than anyone else on the court. Middleton made an All-Star game tonight which is justification of what he means to this Bucks team.

Hey @Khris22m, you're an @NBAAllStar!!#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/JUX8meGaIJ

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) February 1, 2019

This isn’t a participation trophy. Rather, it’s a recognition that Middleton has been really fucking good the last two years. Yes, he was better last year from a scoring perspective, but that’s a funny thing to say ‘He deserved it last year.’ Why? Because Middleton shot a gross number of mid-range jump shots, didn’t take that many threes and played an ungodly amount of minutes. All of those things led to more points from Middleton. He plays a much more efficient game and helps run the offense. He doesn’t get the same looks as teams put their best perimeter defender on him. But Midds still gets the job done.

Case in point tonight, Middleton took over the game when Giannis went out with his fifth foul. Khris did a great job facilitating the action and getting a few buckets. He outplayed Kawhi Leonard on the night he received the call to be an NBA All-Star. This is a really cool moment for both Khris and his buddy Giannis.

Charlie.