According to ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst, who recently appeared on ESPN 850 WKNR in Cleveland on Tuesday, the Cavaliers “are shooting” for point guard Isaiah Thomas to return in mid-December.
Windhorst: Internally, the #Cavs are shooting for mid-December for a return of Isaiah Thomas. He is ramping up to 3-on-3 work.
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) November 28, 2017
Thomas has been sidelined with a right hip injury that ended his season prematurely in the Eastern Conference finals last spring. However, the 5-foot-9 point guard has been progressively ramping up his rehabilitation and workouts as of late and according to Windhorst, Thomas will next be participating in three-on-three drills in practice.
“I’m protecting myself, so, even if they wanted me to hurry back, I’m not going to hurry back, just because I’ve got a long career ahead of me and an important summer as well,” Thomas told Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon. “So, I’ve got to make sure I’m 100 percent healthy before I step out on the floor. But these guys have not rushed me one bit. They’ve taken their time with me and I appreciate that.”
The Cavs are currently surging and in the midst of an eight-game winning streak, but they currently have just one viable point guard on the roster at the moment in Jose Calderon. Thomas will give the Cavs a huge offensive boost as he posted averages of 28.9 points and 5.9 assists last season for the Celtics.