A look back at the rough starts to the careers of Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo

The careers of Giannis and Khris didn’t exactly turn heads right away.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton are two of the most important players of the Milwaukee Bucks franchise in the current era. Along with Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez, they have helped elevate the Bucks to an NBA championship in 2021. It may be hard to believe now, but both of these players had humble beginnings in the NBA.

Recently, Bleacher Report pointed out how these two players didn’t let a bad start define the rest of their time in the league. Here’s a look back at those uninspiring starts.

Raw rookie

The “Greek Freak” arrived in the United States in 2013 as pure raw talent. He was selected 15th overall in the 2013 draft, with no one really expecting him to make a major impact on the court. After all, he had just turned 18 years old and hadn’t even played for a European pro team yet.

It was no surprise then that Giannis averaged just 6.8 points on a 41 percent shooting clip. He also grabbed 4.4 rebounds and dished out 1.9 assists per game as a rookie while playing 77 games and starting in 23 of them. However, it also didn’t take long for him to improve in the next few campaigns. By his fourth season in the NBA, he was already an All-Star averaging 22.9 points, 8.8 boards, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game. He hasn’t looked back ever since.

From reserve to playoff performer

Things didn’t look good for Middleton early on either, as he played in just 27 games during his rookie campaign for the Detroit Pistons in 2012. However, a trade to the Bucks in his second season proved to be a blessing, as he played in all 82 games—starting 64 of them—and averaged 12.1, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.

The former Texas A&M star has since become a three-time All-Star and has built a reputation as a player who can take over when the stakes are high. Proof of this was his incredible showing during the Bucks’ title run in 2021 when he averaged 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, highlighted by a 40-point explosion in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns.