Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton will make his 2024-25 season debut at the Boston Celtics on Friday night, his agent, Mike Lindeman, told ESPN’s Bobby Marks on Thursday.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton participated in a 5-on-5 practice session Wednesday
Middleton, 33, has been sidelined for the first quarter of the season after undergoing surgery on his ankles in the offseason. He participated in a 5-on-5 practice session Wednesday before the Bucks’ 119-104 loss to Atlanta.
According to The Associated Press, 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.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton will make his season debut Friday night at Boston, sources tell ESPN.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) December 5, 2024
“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.”
Per Marks, sources close to the Bucks had told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Nov. 20 that Middleton was medically cleared but that he was still working toward feeling “physically ready to play.”
Middleton averaged 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists last season
Middleton underwent arthroscopic surgeries on both ankles during the offseason stemming from injuries suffered during the 2023-24 season.
In 55 games (all starts) last season, Middleton averaged 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 27 minutes per contest while shooting 49.3% from the field, 38.1% from 3-point range, and 83.3% at the free throw line.
During Game 3 of the 2024 Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers, he recorded a playoff career-high 42 points on 16-of-29 (55.2%) shooting from the floor, 4-of-9 (44.4%) from beyond the arc, and all six made free throws.
Per Spotrac, Middleton is currently in the second season of the three-year, $93 million deal that he signed with the Bucks last July. He’s making $31.66 million this campaign, and his contract includes a $34.01 million player option for 2025-26.
The three-time All-Star has until June 29, 2025, to exercise that option.
