Paul George Takes Part In Clippers Practice For First Time Since December

Clippers star forward Paul George joined his teammates at practice Thursday for the first time since suffering a torn UCL in his elbow in December, as relayed by James Herbert of CBS Sports.

“We don’t know yet (about when he could come back), but he’s doing good,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. “He hasn’t felt any pain, so that’s a positive thing. Just working on his conditioning and just making sure he can continue to go through the minimal contact without having any issues. As of right now it hasn’t been a problem.”

The Clippers (36-38) enter Thursday night in eighth place in the Western Conference. George suffered the injury on Dec. 22 and the Clippers have gone 19-23 since. They also been without star forward Kawhi Leonard (knee) all season.

George was off to a fantastic start, averaging 24.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists, before he suffered a sprained elbow on Dec. 6. He rested for two weeks, then returned, but played in just two games before it was revealed on Christmas Day that he had suffered a torn UCL.

“It’s always good to have PG around, just for the young guys. just being around with positive energy,” Lue said earlier this month.

Per the Clippers, the fact George was able to practice marks the next step in his ramp-it-up process toward a potential return.