Avery Bradley was re-evaluated on Dec. 7 and cleared for full contact, the Los Angeles Lakers officially announced.
While Bradley will not return against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he will be listed as day-to-day for now.
Bradley’s injury originally occurred in the 103-96 win over the San Antonio Spurs when Dejounte Murray drove to the basket and accidentally kicked him in the knee area.
While X-rays returned negative, Bradley did not play against the Chicago Bulls. However, the 28-year-old did return for the team’s next four games where he played extremely well.
On Nov. 14, Bradley’s MRI revealed a hairline fracture in a non-weight bearing bone of his right leg (fibular head).
Since then, Bradley has missed the team’s last 12 games, but they have gone 11-1 during this stretch. While the Lakers have been successful, they struggled without him on the defensive end prior to their strong three-game road trip.
Although it is unclear when Bradley will actually return, the expectations are he will be in head coach Frank Vogel’s starting lineup but conditioning will likely be an issue.
Prior to the injury, Bradley was playing well in his role. In 10 games (all starts), he averaged 9.6 points while guarding the opponent’s best perimeter player for the most part.
