Khris Middleton will make his season debut Friday against the Boston Celtics as the Milwaukee Bucks forward returns from offseason surgery on his ankles, his agent, Mike Lindeman, told ESPN’s Bobby Marks on Thursday.
Middleton took part in a 5-on-5 practice session Wednesday before the Bucks’ 119-104 loss to the Atlanta Hawks snapped a seven-game winning streak.
Bucks coach Doc Rivers had said Wednesday that Middleton was close to playing and that he could understand Middleton feeling frustrated as he missed the first 21 games of the season.
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“Anybody who wants to play, and Khris is one of those [guys], they’re frustrated,” Rivers said. “That’s mentally challenging. You see your team playing, and although we’re playing well right now, I imagine when we were really struggling and he wasn’t playing, that had to be really hard for him. You want to help your team, and he knows he can.”
Sources had told ESPN’s Shams Charania last month that Middleton was medically cleared but that he was still working toward feeling physically ready to play.
Middleton underwent arthroscopic surgeries on both ankles during the offseason stemming from injuries suffered during the 2023-24 campaign.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
