The Brooklyn Nets don't have very much to be excited about as they are one of the worst teams in the league with maybe the bleakest future. One thing Nets fans can be excited about for the rest of this season is their two rookies, Chris McCullough and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who both have a lot of potential. Both players are coming off long-term injuries, but while McCullough made his season debut on Monday night, Hollis-Jefferson may not be all that close to a return, according to Nets Daily.
Hollis-Jefferson fractured his ankle in the beginning of December, and it required surgery. Initially, the rookie was given an eight-10 week timetable for his return, but it has now been about nine weeks, and he has only just gotten out of his walking boot. A few weeks after the surgery, Hollis-Jefferson wrote on his personal blog that he was targeting a return in early March, but Nets officials said he was mistaken in that assessment.
About a month and a half later it seems as though RHJ might have been right on point with his assessment, as the beginning of March looks like a realistic timetable for his return. Hollis-Jefferson is certainly making progress in his return, but a return before the end of that timetable is all but out of the question.
"He's out of the boot, obviously, he's doing some work on the court. I don't see him playing anytime soon, but he's progressing as nice as he can under the circumstances," said interim head coach Tony Brown.
The Nets are doing the wise thing by making sure they don't rush Hollis-Jefferson back on the court because they have nothing to play for anyway. Hollis-Jefferson looked like a rare bright spot on the team in the 19 games he appeared in before the injury, and fans certainly want to see him and McCullough on the floor together as soon as possible. Having said that, keeping these guys healthy is the most important thing, so the Nets will bring him along slowly, and fans will have to wait patiently to see the two first round picks on the floor together this season.
