Whittington was on hand for free agent/rookie camp in July, but could not participate.
Shayne Whittington has made another small step on his way to recovery. The Pacers’ rookie, who has spent the majority of the summer in Indianapolis rehabbing and working out, played two games of 4-on-4 Wednesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
“Went live for the first time in 4 months! Felt so much better than I thought it would. Moving and jumping extremely better than expected,” Whittington tweeted.
The 6-10 big man suffered a broken left fibula on May 8th while working out prior to the 2014 NBA Draft.
It’s unclear whether he’ll be able to fully participate come the start of training camp on Sept. 30. No timetable has be set as they don’t want to rush him, but he’s making great strides each week.
Pacers President Larry Bird likes Whittington’s skill set and said last month, “We think he’s going to be a pretty good player for us down the road.”
The Pacers have four centers on roster – Roy Hibbert, Ian Mahinmi, Lavoy Allen, and Whittington – but they may need more out of their reserves early in the season after Mahinmi’s left shoulder once again gave him problems, this time while preparing for the FIBA World Cup. He left Team France and returned to Indianapolis for further evaluation.
Whittington will wear No. 42 with the Blue and Gold.
Earlier this week, he sent out the following Instagram thankful to be in an NBA locker room and not sitting in class – like many of his friends as college classes resumed.
More coverage on Whittington:
– Q&A with Shayne Whittington
– Whittington and many other Pacers take the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
– Whittington cleared to work at game speed