Isaiah Thomas Is Nearing 3-On-3 Work As The Cavaliers Target A Mid-December Return


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You probably know this already, but Isaiah Thomas was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Cleveland Cavaliers over the summer. That’s not news. Neither is the fact that he’s injured, with a hip issue he developed in the playoffs, made worse and has forced him to miss the start of the 2017 season.

But when Thomas can finally play basketball is indeed news, and the point guard has been working hard to make sure he comes back at 100 percent despite Cleveland’s desperate need for depth at the point. The team’s guard situation hasn’t been ideal this year, with Derrick Rose leaving to find himself and IT on the shelf, but it seems that the very initial estimates about Thomas’s health were very conservative.

Reports surfaced on Tuesday that the Cavs are hoping Thomas is back in the middle of December, which would set him up to be up to speed by Christmas day. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst hopped on the radio in Cleveland and reported the news on Tuesday that Thomas is trying to work his way up to playing 3-on-3, which would inch him closer to full participation in practice and a return to the court.

https://twitter.com/ESPNCleveland/status/935624665510432768

It would be a huge boost for Cleveland for sure, and perhaps a sign that Thomas’ injury wasn’t as bad as the Cavaliers initially feared. If Thomas is back to form by the midpoint of the season, perhaps Cleveland really can turn things around. It would be the first truly good news the Cavs have gotten in a while on the injury front.

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