Jordan Hill returns to practice with Los Angeles Lakers, limited to non contact conditioning – NBA News
The Los Angeles Lakers breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday when their backup centre Jordan Hill returned to practice on Thursday, less than two weeks after being diagnosed with a herniated back disc. Although Hill was not allowed
to participate in any contact drills by the team doctors, the fact that he was on the court and working on his core strength shows that he is recovering well from the injury and on schedule to play for the Lakers in their regular season opener.
Hill had said after the injury was diagnosed that he would not be needing surgery, and that he was eyeing the Lakers season opener as his return date. He has been working on only his core strength since the injury, and will not
participate in the team’s exhibition game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday in Las Vegas.
Lakers Head Coach Mike Brown was quite surprised when he saw Hill on the practice court after being cleared by the team doctors, and was happy with the way he was recovering and the things he was able to do on the court.
"We did a warm-up drill where you're required to run, not necessarily at 100 percent speed, but you've got to get out and go a little bit. And he got out and ran. I was surprised they let him do that. It was good to see,” said
Brown.
Hill is the primary backup centre for the Los Angeles Lakers, and will be supporting All Star centre Dwight Howard in the regular season. Howard himself is recovering from a back surgery he got done before the last season ended,
and is still tight lipped about any timeline for his return to action. In the absence of both Howard and Hill, the Lakers front court has looked rather thin in their first few preseason fixtures.
Hill has not been allowed to scrimmage with the team or take part in any contact drills, but Brown said that he wants him on the floor at least so that he can get used to the new type of offense that the Lakers will be looking
to run next season.
"For us, the way we're playing, he's got to know specific routes and reads. There's a lot that he's got to still do to catch up,” added Brown.
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