Giannis lauds Khris Middleton for playing his role perfectly

Getting knocked down the totem pole of a team's offense can be tough to swallow, especially in the NBA, where superstars take pride in their stature and reputation. But Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo isn't shy about praising teammate Khris Middleton for playing his role perfectly.

Quiet for the first three quarters in their game against the Houston Rockets, Middleton exploded for 14 markers in the fourth to help the Bucks win 128-119. For Giannis, Khris asserting himself in the final canto wasn't surprising.

"That's what he does. We've been playing for a lot of years and usually, sometimes in the first, first two, three quarters, he's trying to read the game. He never forces the issue. He lets the game come to him, and then in the fourth quarter, whenever he feels like he wants to be aggressive, he decides to be aggressive," Giannis said.

Transition to being the third option

The arrival of superstar guard Damian Lillard on the Bucks has moved Khris to be the third option—a transition that takes a lot of maturity and understanding, things that Antetokounmpo believes his teammate has in spades.

"Obviously, Dame has the ball, I have the ball, and maybe he has the ball a little bit less, but at the end of the day, he's a professional. He knows what it takes to win. He knows his role. And there's gonna be times that down the stretch like he has to score the ball for us. And he knows that. He stays ready for that," Giannis explained.

Against the Rockets, Middleton picked his spots and struck when the opportunity presented himself, hitting a massive three-pointer down the stretch to separate the Bucks and their opponents.