Isaiah Thomas reportedly targeting the first week of January for his return

It’s been awhile since we’ve received an update regarding Isaiah Thomas’ timetable to return, but according to a new report, the point guard is eyeing the first week of January to make his debut as a Cavalier.

The report comes courtesy of The Vertical’s Shams Charania:

Cavaliers All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas is targeting the first week of January for his season debut with Cleveland, league sources tell Yahoo.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 18, 2017

Thomas has made significant progress from his hip injury, has confidence he could play now, but plan has been set to ensure he returns for long run this season. Cavaliers face Portland, Boston and Orlando in first week of January. https://t.co/Nea7J7GJzl

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 18, 2017

January was the original timetable set for Thomas, and even though he is feeling good, the team has repeatedly said they do not want to rush him along in his recovery. That hasn’t stopped the speculation that Thomas would try and play in the Christmas Day game against the Golden State Warriors.

Waiting makes sense, however, considering both Thomas and the team want to make sure he is full-go and won’t need to take games off because of the injury once he makes his return.

In case you need a refresher, Thomas has not played since the 2016-17 Eastern Conference Finals due to a torn labrum in his right hip. He was of course part of the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics, but the trade itself was held up due to questions about Thomas’ injury.

Thomas averaged 28.9 points, 5.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds last season for Boston, and considering how well the Cavs have been playing offense as of late, Thomas facilitating will provide them yet another weapon. Cleveland has now won 18 of their last 19 games, with their 106-99 win over Washington on Sunday evening.