Denver Nuggets forward Paul Millsap on Wednesday returned to his first full practice since undergoing left wrist surgery in November.
Although Millsap said it felt good to be back with his teammates, he stopped short of putting an exact date on when he'll return to game action.
"Hopefully pretty soon," Millsap told reporters, according to the Denver Post. "It feels good now. We'll see how it feels in the morning or after [Thursday's] practice, and we'll go from there. My intention was to come right back after the All-Star break and get into it, but we have to be smart about it. This was my first practice today, full contact, and I have to be smart about my wrist and my body."
The Nuggets signed Millsap this past offseason, giving the former All-Star a three-year, $90 million deal. He averaged 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists before the wrist injury sidelined him after a Nov. 19 game.
Denver has played well without him, holding the sixth seed in the Western Conference with a 32-26 record coming out of the All-Star break. That success without Millsap affords coach Michael Malone the chance to ease Millsap back into the rotation, whenever he's cleared to play.
"When he is back, there's a good chance I start off by bringing him off the bench," Malone sad. "He's missed 42 games right now. And I think we're 23-19 without him, and our group is playing at a high level."
Also Wednesday, the Nuggets welcomed back center Mason Plumlee, who hasn't played since Jan. 29 due to a calf injury. Plumlee is expected to play Friday against the San Antonio Spurs.
"It's just great to have those guys back," Malone said, according to the Post. "We'll figure out who plays and when they play, but being healthy with 24 games to go [is] a good thing to be."
