Wednesday 25 December 2019 22:00, UK
Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo hopes to make his return from a ruptured right quad tendon in about a month, according to reports on Wednesday.
Oladipo hopes to return as soon as late January or perhaps in early February, according to ESPN, which would be about a year removed from his injury.
Oladipo was injured on January 23, 2018 and has not played since, though he has steadily ramped up his rehab and workouts recently. The Pacers were 32-15 at the time of his injury, before going 16-19 the rest of the season and getting swept by Boston in the first round of the postseason.
This year, the Pacers have started 21-10 without Oladipo, putting them with one-and-a-half games of the second spot in the Eastern Conference.
Oladipo was in the middle of his second consecutive All-Star campaign when he was hurt, averaging 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists across 36 games.
In 2017-18, his first season with the Pacers, he averaged a career-high 23.1 points with 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists along with a league-best 2.4 steals per game.
The 27-year-old is in his seventh NBA season. He spent his first three with the Orlando Magic before one year in Oklahoma City. He was acquired by Indiana - along with big man Domantas Sabonis - in exchange for Paul George in July of 2017.