Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler And Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton Expected Back Friday

The two All-Stars are set to rejoin their teams on the same day

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is expected back in the lineup against the Boston Celtics Friday night. 

Butler, who has missed the past seven games with a right knee injury, is one of two NBA All-Stars set to make their return. Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton will make his season debut against the Los Angeles Lakers after sustaining an MCL injury in the playoffs last year against the Chicago Bulls.  

ESPN Sources: Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton plans to make his season debut vs. the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday (ESPN, 7:30 PM ET). Middleton has been recovering from July surgery on his left wrist. The Bucks are 15-5, second in the East.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 1, 2022

The Heat fared well in Butler’s absence _ they were 3-4 _ but are ready to have back their No. 1 player. 

“He's one of the best players in the league,” Strus said. “How can you not want him on the floor with us? Hopefully, he can come back. We're all excited for him to come back. We can use him out there for sure.”

The returns of Middleton and Butler will shake things up in the Eastern Conference. Even though center Bam Adebayo has been impressive of late, Butler is the undisputed leader for the Heat. The Heat missed their superstar in the lineup. 

The same goes for Middleton, the No. 2 player for the Bucks since 2017. Many felt they would have made the Finals last year if not for his injury. A three-time All-Star, he averaged 20.4 points, 5.4 assists and 5.4 rebounds. 

Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled in the postseason without Middleton and the Bucks were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the second round. A healthy Middleton puts the Bucks in position to compete for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They are only 2.5 games behind the Celtics. 

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Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.