The Bucks will start their 2025-26 season at home against the Washington Wizards, which means Khris Middleton will be returning to Milwaukee for the first time as a visitor. Middleton is a certified Bucks legend, and the 2021 NBA championship would not have been possible without him. The Bucks are sure to have a heartfelt tribute ready for him, which should only motivate the team more for the game and season ahead.
Khris Middleton is a franchise icon
Middleton was Giannis Antetokounmpo's co-star for many years before being traded to the Wizards in a deal for Kyle Kuzma last season. The relationship between Giannis and Middleton is well-documented. Seeing Middleton in an opposing jersey in Fiserv Forum will be a bittersweet moment for both of them.
Sadly, the Bucks didn't have much choice with Middleton by the end of last season. His injuries had started to pile up at age 33, and he wasn't the same All-Star caliber player even when he was on the court. Ultimately, the uncertainty around Middleton's injury hurt the Bucks' depth chart, and they felt that Kuzma could add a more stable presence.
Middleton isn't the only championship veteran to leave the Bucks in recent years. In fact, only three members of the 2021 squad - Giannis, his brother Thanasis, and Bobby Portis - now remain on the Bucks. For those guys, seeing Khris' tribute should reignite their desire to reach the NBA mountaintop once again.
Khris Middleton's return will also serve as a reminder that the formula for building a championship contender around Giannis has worked before. Ever since Giannis emerged as an MVP candidate, the most successful Bucks teams have always surrounded Giannis with shooting and defense. He didn't need a truly dominant second start to reach the Finals and advance deep in the playoffs, but Middleton's timely shot-making certainly helped.
For the newer players on the team, the tribute should fuel a motivation to have the same impact as prime Khris Middleton. Although none of them may be individually talented enough to replicate Middleton's scoring, they can make up for it as a group. If different Bucks can step up in clutch situations throughout the season, that can be enough to have a successful season.
Giannis is even better offensively now than he was in 2021, so he doesn't need as much from his supporting cast. His teammates don't need to hit isolation pull-up threes like Middleton once did, but they do need to sustain the advantages that he creates and occasionally make plays for themselves and others.
Khris Middleton's return to Milwaukee will signal a new era in Bucks history. The glory days of the 2021 championship are gone, and the present-day squad needs to be dialed in to compete in the same fashion.