The Bucks’ Khris Middleton is expected to make his season debut on Friday against the Celtics

Khris Middleton did not play this season while recovering from offseason surgeries.

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee forward Khris Middleton is expected to make his 2024-25 season debut Friday after missing the Bucks’ first 21 games while recovering Off-season operations on each of his ankles.

The Bucks released an injury report Thursday that listed the three-time All-Star as probable for tonight’s road game with the Bucks Defending NBA champions Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday that Middleton participated in a five-on-five practice that morning. Rivers spoke before a 119-104 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks, who were on a seven-game winning streak.

“Anyone who wants to play, and Khris is one of them, is frustrated,” Rivers said at the time. “It’s a mental challenge. You see how your team is playing and although we are playing well at the moment, I can imagine that when we were really struggling and he wasn’t playing it must have been really difficult for him. You want to help your team and he knows he can.”

Rivers and Bucks general manager Jon Horst had expressed optimism before the season that the recovery wouldn’t result in Middleton missing much time, but that situation instead continued the 33-year-old’s recent struggles on the floor to stay.

Due to various injuries, Middleton only played 33 games in the 2022-23 season and 55 games last season. A sprained medial ligament caused him to miss the Bucks’ final 10 playoff games of 2022.

He remains productive when he is healthy. Middleton averaged 15.1 points, 5.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds during the 2023-24 regular season. When two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the Bucks’ first-round playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers, Middleton took on a larger role, averaging 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.7 in the six-game series Assists.