Pacers Injury Report: Myles Turner cleared to return to action

Well, we didn't have to wait long for some good news on Myles Turner's status as the Pacers announced the rookie was cleared for action after a review of his latest X-ray.

Turner hurt his left thumb which required surgery, after playing just one minute in Boston on Nov. 4. Frank Vogel had carved out a nice 15-25 minute spot in the rotation for the rook, but it ended abruptly in his eighth appearance. Turner missed the next 20 games before getting cleared to suit up against the Hawks on Monday night, although he is not expected to see the floor.

Vogel wants to see Turner go through more practice and get in game shape before letting him play again.

"He's been working his tail off." Vogel said Turner's return is less about conditioning & more about getting acclimated to catching passes.

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 28, 2015

Turner was obviously upbeat after participating in the team's shoot around and did mention he's been catching bounce and touch passes but now is working through all of the full game-speed actions he'll need his left hand to help. He will continue to wear a wrap on the thumb which he has already adjusted to while doing what he could on the court prior to the "all clear" today.

When asked about a potential D-League assignment, Turner said he'd be willing to play with the Mad Ants if asked so he could improve his game conditioning.

The fact Turner is suiting up for the game tonight is a good sign and not something that will continue if he isn't close enough to a return that he couldn't log a few minutes, if needed. The Pacers have three games over the next four days but Turner will be able to go through a full practice on Tuesday which should give a better indication of his readiness.

As Vogel said, the rook will be day-to-day until he starts to play.