As Team USA and their head coach Gregg Popovich prepare for their exhibition contest against the Australian national team on Aug. 22, Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton is excited about facing Australian national Matthew Dellavedova.
Middleton and Dellavedova were teammates in Milwaukee for two and a half seasons until Dellavedova was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers midway through this past season in a three-team trade.
Prior to playing for the Bucks, he was a key role player on a Cavaliers team that won the 2016 NBA championship and appeared in two straight championship series.
“Delly was a great teammate of mine and a great friend and I know he was talking about it last year about how exciting this game would be for them and for us,” Middleton said. “To compete against him, he’s a warrior. It’s going to be a great test and it’ll be great to see him and play against him.”
Middleton is one of only two NBA All-Stars on a Team USA roster that is unusually weak compared to past editions. The only other All-Star on the team is Kemba Walker, who signed with the Boston Celtics as a free agent last month.
