Since acquiring All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas over the offseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers have continued to exercise patience with his recovery process from his hip injury.
The target date of him making his return to the court is Jan. 1 and there have been no updates since. With that in mind, Thomas voiced his appreciation for how the Cavaliers have continued to handle the situation while also airing that he wants to be completely healed when does come back, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
“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. “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. Because most teams, they want you out there, especially if things aren’t going well.”
It has been a long and arduous process for Thomas, but there doesn’t appear to be any rushing to get him back on the court from either side. He has continued to show some progress as he did reveal that he went through a workout on Sunday where he ran the hardest he has in the recovery process and has yet to experience any setbacks.
The 28-year-old also indicated that the next step in his recovery process will center on cutting and changing direction. At the moment, he appears to be on track to be able to make his return come early January at the very least.
There have been a huge amount of expectations thrust upon his shoulders to be a major offensive factor upon his return, especially after posting a career-high 28.9 points per game last year. The Cavaliers will likely ease him back into the mix of things with eyes toward eventually having him fulfill that pivotal spot on the team this season.