Advertisement

DeMar DeRozan recovered from injury but won't rush return to Raptors lineup

israel fehr

DeMar DeRozan isn't ready to return to the Raptors' lineup just yet.

Toronto's starting shooting guard has been sidelined for almost six weeks after tearing a tendon in his groin on November 28. Initially believed to be coming back for Thursday's game against Charlotte, DeRozan said on Wednesday that he had fully recovered from the injury but wanted to participate in a few more practices before jumping into game action. Specifically, DeRozan cited a need to improve his conditioning.

The Raptors are starting a six-game homestand on Thursday and hope DeRozan will be able to suit up next week, perhaps as early as Saturday. If all goes well he should definitely be able to play on January 16 against the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Hawks.

Without DeRozan, Toronto has gone 11-7 and they're 24-10 overall which puts them in third place in the East. DeRozan is averaging 19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game this season.

More NBA coverage from Yahoo Canada Sports:

- - - - - - -

Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter.