As the Miami Heat look to build around Giannis Antetokounmpo, they should at least consider looking at what previously worked. In that sense, they should search for ways to fill the role that Khris Middleton played for the championship-winning Milwaukee Bucks.
Thankfully, though he may not score with the same peak volume, Andrew Wiggins has the tools to fill the Middleton role—and the Heat need him to succeed in doing so.
Middleton spent 12 seasons in Milwaukee, playing each of them alongside Antetokounmpo. His statistical peak was from 2017-18 to 2021-22, when he earned three All-Star nods and helped the Bucks win their first championship in 50 years.
During that time, Middleton accumulated averages of 19.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.2 three-point field goals made per game on .464/.386/.884 shooting.
Beyond the numbers, Middleton was often the glue that kept the Bucks together. He took over as a scorer when the situation called for it, happily settled into a role as a third option on nights when Jrue Holiday had the hot hand, and played consistent defense. Moreover, Middleton buried threes and midrange jump shots, and created his own offense when defenses downplayed his strengths.
Whether or not Wiggins can do everything that Middleton managed to, the Heat will need him to excel in virtually identical areas in 2026-27.
Andrew Wiggins has the tools to emulate Khris Middleton's success
Wiggins boasts a career average of 18.2 points per game, which suggests he can score with reasonable volume. He dipped to 15.4 per contest in 2025-26, but he did so on .475/.414/.784 shooting and averaged 18.2 points per 36 minutes.
Furthermore, Wiggins averaged 21.1 points per 36 minutes in 2024-25 and doesn't appear to have regressed to the point of being unable to get back to that level.
Wiggins has never been the playmaker that Middleton was, which may require Miami to thus temper their expectations. He can still fill a similar role, however, if he increases his scoring volume and can operate more frequently from midrange.
The good news is that, in 2025-26, Wiggins ranked in the 81st percentile in midrange shot creation and the 82nd percentile in midrange shot quality, per Basketball Index. Unfortunately, he ranked in the 40th percentile in midrange shot making efficiency.
There's still plenty to fall back on, including the fact that he ranked in the 96th percentile in perimeter isolation defense. For Wiggins to truly maximize Antetokounmpo's first season, however, he must be able to knock down shots in the midrange once teams start running him off the three-point line.
If Wiggins can add efficiency from midrange to defending at a high level and spacing the floor, then the Heat may just have their Middleton. In the process, Antetokounmpo can maximize the 2026-27 team's potential.
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