Could Isaiah Thomas be back before January?

CLEVELAND– When the Cavaliers acquired Isaiah Thomas from the Boston Celtics in the Kyrie Irving trade, they put a conservative estimate on his return for the season.

Thomas, who suffered a torn labrum in his right hip last season, was expected to be out until January.

But is there a possibility that Thomas could be back sooner than expected?

Prior to the game on Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Hawks, Thomas was getting in some full-court shooting work. According to reports, his workouts and rehab work have continued to increase. The Cavs have not yet offered official word on an updated timeline for Thomas, but per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Thomas may be ready to make his return in six to seven weeks, which would put him a couple of weeks ahead of that initial January projection.

“I don’t know,” said head coach Tyronn Lue when he was asked if Thomas would be out until January. “You know, the staff is doing a great job of just, you know, just trying to get him ready, trying to get him right, so, we don’t want to rush him back if he’s not 100 percent. They’ve been doing a good job of taking it slow, making sure they’re rehabilitating him the right way, and we just go from there.”