Since being sidelined following the Houston Rockets’ season opener, Chris Paul may return to action ahead of schedule for his team. Head coach Mike D’Antoni recently revealed that the star guard is only around five practices away from being ready to play once again. He also added, via Tim MacMahon of ESPN, that he is hoping he can be back to 100 percent, and have the opportunity to work with a full and healthy roster.
“He’s probably rounding second and pretty close to third.” D’Antoni estimated Paul would need “five days or so” of practice once he’s cleared for basketball activities to build up his endurance before returning to game action. “I just hope we can get him back quickly so we can start building on what we really have.”
Paul suffered a bruised knee against the Golden State Warriors, and was forced to sit out majority of the second half. The good news for them is that the Rockets came out victorious on the night, and have found a way to continue winning despite his absence. They’re currently tied with the Dubs on top of the Western Conference with an 8-3 win-loss slate.
Once the nine-time All-Star returns, he is expected to run the point guard duties, which will allow James Harden to play at his natural shooting guard role. He could benefit from it by having more open looks, especially with how good Paul is in setting up his teammates. Should D’Antoni’s statement hold true, CP3 may be available for the Rockets as early as next week.
The post Report: Chris Paul ‘5 days of practice’ away from return appeared first on ClutchPoints.
