He's Baaaaaack: Andre Roberson is a full participant in OKC practice
Guess who's back, back, back? Back again, again, again. Andre's back, back, back. Tell a friend.
The reports are circulating.
Forever Buff Andre Roberson has been a full participant during the Oklahoma City Thunder practices and it's looking likely he will be playing when the NBA season resumes in Orlando.
It has been over two and a half years since Roberson has played in an NBA game.
The last time he played in a game it was January 17, 2018 when the Thunder were on the road in Detroit.
Much has changed since then. In the world and with the Thunder. His leader and point guard is now Chris Paul and most of the players he played with are now gone.
Roberson ruptured his patellar tendon in 2018 and it has been a long road to recovery since then. The timeline continuously got pushed back and some thought his NBA future could be in doubt.
“I’m kinda past the rehab stage. I’m almost to the point where I should be playing, honestly," Roberson told CU's Director of Player Development Nate Tomlinson in April. "But I’m still taking it a day at a time until I get back into our medical staff’s hands and get re-evaluated. I’m just staying patient through it all and knowing that the light is right there at the end of the tunnel. … It’s definitely been a long journey and it’s coming to an end.”
It appears everything has gone well since then and he's fully cleared to practice. Some of his teammates are pumped up about it.
“He’s doing great. I’m very happy to see him play because I know what it means to be out for that long with a bad injury," Danillo Gallinari said. "Just to see the joy and energy he brings to the team, it’s great to see him out there with us.”
Veteran Chris Paul remembers what Roberson can bring to the court.
“Man, it’s the best thing ever,” Paul said on a zoom conference call. “I used to have to fry Dre back in the day when I was on another team and he was the stopper for the Thunder.”
It would be unfair to put any expectations on Roberson at this point or whether he will play at all, but the fact that he's back should be an accomplishment in and of itself.
