The Washington Wizards returned to action on Wednesday with their regular season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on the road.
Washington fell to 0-1 on the season, losing their first of 82 games, but throughout the loss, the Wizards managed to come away with several hidden victories.
For starters, rookie Tre Johnson looks like the real deal and after years of the Wizards whiffing on lottery picks, the growing chance that the Texas standout is a hit could be huge for the team's future as they continue to build towards the future.
In addition, the team have a building block on their hands in second-year man Kyshawn George, who looks every bit the part of an emerging young star.
And that's not even mentioning the impressive play from newly acquired Cam Whitmore, who flourished off the bench in his new role with the Wizards.
However, arguably the biggest win of the night came from veteran forward Khris Middleton, who may have completely altered his future in Washington in one game.
Khris Middleton finally looked like himself in a Wizards jersey
Khris Middleton's arrival in Washington immediately made it clear that the Wizards decision to land him as the center piece to the trade that sent Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee was more about the opportunity to offload Kuzma than it was to land the veteran.
Sure, Middleton's veteran leadership was a selling point and the idea that he could turn things around and finally show that his injury history was in the past could benefit Washington on the trade market.
However, that never came to fruition with Middleton struggling in D.C. more than he did anything positive since arriving ahead of last year's NBA trade deadline.
As a result, it was evident that the Wizards would have an extremely difficult time moving off the forward's lucrative contract, especially after opting in to his player option this offseason.
Between his inability to stay on the court, lackluster play and sizable contract, a deal just didn't seem to be realistic.
Nonetheless, his performance in the Wizards' season opener may have changed that narrative.
Middleton looked like the best player on tghe court for the Wizards on Wednesday, totaling 23 points, six rebounds and three assists, while shooting 9/14 from field goal range and 3/5 from beyond the arc in 29 minutes of play.
If the versatile wing can continue playing at this high of a level and prove that the long offseason allowed for him to get his body right, playoff-needy teams could bite the bullet and potentially call the Wizards in efforts to swing a trade for the 34-year-old veteran.