Ian Mahinmi won’t be a full participant as training camp commences on Tuesday for the Pacers. The team’s backup center says his left shoulder is feeling much better and that he hopes to begin taking part in contact drills within two weeks.
Mahinmi re-injured his left shoulder on Aug. 28 while practicing with the French National Team ahead of FIBA World Cup play. He immediately returned home and was observed by head trainer Josh Corbeil and team physician Dr. Tim Hupfer. One week after the injury, he said he was OK and was pleased that the injury would not require surgery or injections.
Talking with Ian Mahinmi at media day on Monday.
“It’s doing a lot better,” Mahinmi told me Monday. “I can’t really give you a (timetable). I hope to come back sometime this week or next week. We’ll see this goes as far as this week.
“My goal is sometime next week.”
The 27-year-old, who enters his 7th NBA season, says he’s very much day-to-day, and making great progress.
He has been on the court shooting and moving around, but has yet to take contact or play 5-on-5 with his teammates.
The biggest hurdle for him has been with the range of motion with his left arm. Quick motion or anything over his head is still a little weak.
Mahinmi has a daily routine. It begins with Carl Eaton, the Pacers’ assistant trainer and physical therapist, on “moving his shoulder the right way and getting stronger with light weights and bend exercises.
“Then there’s the other part in the weight room with [strength coach] Shawn Windle, as far as getting everything around my shoulder stronger. Then we do court stuff to get my conditioning up.”
Mahinmi didn’t have much of an offseason, as he joined his country’s National Team, a very proud moment for him. In doing so, and re-injurying his shoulder, he said he didn’t have time to work on anything in particular. He simply worked.
“Still Roy’s backup and I still have to come out with great energy,” Mahinmi said ahead of a new season. “Obviously as you get older, you got to be a little wiser and play better, smarter and harder. So that’s what I’ll try to do.”
The Pacers open the regular season at home on Oct. 29 vs the Philadelphia 76ers.