The Bucks have made the trip to Chicago for a preseason game against the Bulls. The two teams had faced off in a grueling six-game playoff series in the spring, but this was little more than a sleepy, preseason game typical of early October.

The Bucks are up five in the second quarter, when Nikola Mirotic makes a lazy pass to Jimmy Butler on the right wing and Middleton pokes it away and corrals it near midcourt, with the Bulls star running step-for-step with him on his left shoulder. Around the free-throw line, the Bucks guard gathers the ball, takes two more steps, plants off his left foot with the ball extended in his right hand and hammers the ball through the rim on top of Butler.

“I think we were all surprised, but Khris is always up for surprises to show you that he can do something,” former Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “When he dunked that, it just let everyone know that he's making a jump.”

Middleton broke out in the 2015-16 season, starting 79 games while putting up career highs in points and assists. He exhibited a level of scoring and playmaking far exceeding his presumed NBA role as a “3-and-D guy,” even serving as “Point Khris” in January and February before the Bucks moved on to trying out “Point Giannis” after the All-Star Break.

It was a surprise to many around the league and maybe even to Middleton, who described the day he was traded to Milwaukee as the lowest moment in his NBA career. At the time, it was the one moment where he really felt any sort of doubt creep into his mindset.

“I questioned what was going on,” Middleton said. “You don’t play your first year in Detroit. You get traded and you’re on a one-year guarantee. That’s the day you really question things.”

Middleton had persevered through the self-doubt and “just a second rounder” labeling. He proved he was worthy of time on an NBA floor. He had broken through the label of “just a 3-and-D guy” and been entrusted with playmaking opportunities. He seemed destined to break into an even higher echelon of NBA play following his breakout season, before he tore his hamstring completely off the bone before the 2016-17 season.

It seemed as though it would be just another hurdle for Middleton to clear. After all, he had been able to conquer just about everything put in front him to that point in his career, but that wasn’t the case. He struggled in the Bucks’ first round playoff series against the Raptors, shooting just 40 percent from two and 36 percent from three. He tried to affect the games in ways other than scoring, evidenced by his 5.3 assists per game, but just didn’t feel like himself.

“That was probably one of the worst things I've ever been through,” Middleton said. “Overall, I had the hamstring, which was nowhere close to where it needed to be. I couldn't jump off one leg or stop on one leg. And then I had the throat issue going on, where I couldn't eat the last couple games. It was bad. I couldn't really eat or drink or sleep, so yeah. That was one of the worst experiences of my life.”

Kidd recounted that Middleton didn’t practice in the lead-up to Game 6 of that series and mentioned his shooting guard needed to use his shoulders to turn his body in the locker room before the game. The Texas A&M product played 42 minutes in that elimination game, including the final 30 minutes, and helped spearhead the Bucks’ 25-point comeback, which ultimately came up short. After the game, he would be sent to the hospital to recover.

Sure. Khris Middleton can put up some numbers in the regular season, but there’s no way he can do it when it actually matters in the postseason.