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Bucks News: Star Khris Middleton to Make His Return Friday vs Celtics

Matt Levine

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The Milwaukee Bucks will be getting a massive boost into their rotation this week as star forward Khris Middleton will be making his return. Middleton will be returning to the court on Friday against the Boston Celtics.

NBA insider Bobby Marks reported the news on social media.

Middleton has missed the start of the season after having offseason surgery on his ankles. The veteran took part in a 5-on-5 practice session earlier this week and will now make his return to the court.

Adding Middleton to the lineup should help the Bucks in terms of overall depth. After a slow start to the season, Milwaukee has turned things around completely and has looked like one of the better teams in the NBA of late.

Middleton has been one of the more crucial pieces to the Bucks' overall success over the years so getting him back will be massive. It has been a challenge for the star to sit out but now he can rejoin his teammates.

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers spoke about the frustration of Middleton thoughout the entire recovery process.

"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."

Rivers had said that his return was coming soon but there was never an official date. But now he will take the court against the Bucks rival in the Eastern Conference.

"If it felt right, he'd be playing, obviously," Rivers said. "There's no answer. He's working his butt off and doing all the stuff he's supposed to do. He's just yet to get on the floor. We feel like that's coming soon, and you've heard that before. We're just hopeful it's really soon."

Middleton provides Milwaukee with another scoring win who can also play some defense. Milwaukee has missed having a player like that so his return will be welcomed.

The Bucks are 11-10 on the season but with the return of their star, they feel even more confident going forward. It will be a challenge to face Boston again but the Bucks have faith in their core group.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

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