Bucks Zone

Damian Lillard believes in Khris Middleton’s clutch genes

It takes one to know one.

Jonas Panerio

© Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
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Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard knows a thing or two about coming up big in crunch time. After all, he’s made a decade-long career of it. Now, the seven-time All-Star is extending his belief in clutch ability to a teammate – Khris Middleton.

With the game hanging in the balance against their rivals in the East, the Miami Heat, Lillard was looking for a teammate to pass the ball to with just two seconds remaining on their shot clock. He found Middleton in the corner, who didn’t hesitate to launch a high-looping fadeaway jumper that hit nothing but the bottom of the net.

Tough pass, an even tougher shot

Lillard was inbounding the ball from the baseline, which meant he didn’t have a lot of options. However, he saw Middleton heading to the corner with Heat forward Caleb Martin trailing him closely. Dame saw the play develop and immediately fired a pass to Middleton—a risky one.

“I knew (Khris) would at least have a step on (his defender), and the guy was on him. He almost hit the ball,” Lillard narrated.

“Once I saw him coming open, I knew that was the shot we was going to get, I just wanted to make sure I could try to get it to him. He ran through the pass and hit a tough shot. That’s what good players do,” Lillard said of one of Middleton’s clutch shots versus the Heat.

A gamer

Lillard hasn’t been on the team long enough to know what Middleton is about. In fact, with Damian in town, Khris has yet to play a full load as the team slowly tries to get his conditioning and strength up after knee surgery in the offseason. However, Dame has been watching NBA basketball long enough to know what the former Texas A&M star can do.

“I haven’t been on his team to see, but I’ve seen it just watching games,” Lillard said, referring to Middleton's crunchtime performance.

“I know he’s comfortable in those situations. I know he’s a gamer.”

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Jonas Panerio
JONAS PANERIO