Myths that were busted as Milwaukee Bucks won the 2021 NBA Finals: No. 2 – Khris Middleton could not be a true second option
Much like Budenholzer, Khris Middleton had been bombarded year after year with criticism for his playoff shortcomings with the Bucks.
Some of the slander directed at Middleton was deserved. The biggest example of this always goes to his effort in the 2019 East Finals against the Raptors. The All-Star essentially vanished on the biggest stage and stood by as the Bucks embarrassingly blew a 2-0 lead and lost four straight. It was not as bad the following season when the Bucks lost to the Heat, but Middleton was far from his All-Star self once again. Many had clamored for him to be moved because they grew tired of all these disappearing acts and that Milwaukee needed a true second star.
Instead, Middleton received another shot just like his head coach, and he also made good with the opportunity. While there were certainly some bumps in the road along the way, Middleton had an overall fantastic run in the 2021 playoffs by averaging 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists across 23 games. While consistency was a recurring issue, Middleton stepped up down the stretch time and time again to knock down an array of clutch shots in the biggest moments and seal many games for this team along the way. Let us not forget that he also had 40 points in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, also.
As the final buzzer sounded in Game 6 and the confetti fell at Fiserv Forum, Middleton erased any doubt that he could be a legitimate second option on a title-winning team.