The Thunder practiced in Orlando on Saturday morning and rookie Darius Bazley got some additional unexpected minutes. According to head coach Billy Donovan, his presence was necessary as key reserve Nerlens Noel suffered a minor ankle injury earlier this week.
As a result, Noel has been limited to non-contact activity in practice.
The coach referred to the team holding Noel back as them being “overly precautious,” but at this point in time, it would behoove the team to err on the side of caution.
In Orlando, the team has just less than a week before its first exhibition game against the Boston Celtics on July 24 and an additional week before its first seeding game on Aug. 1. The exhibition games obviously don’t count, and there has been some debate as to the importance of the seeding games.
On today's Zoom call, Thunder coach Billy Donovan said Nerlens Noel tweaked his ankle in practice this week. Noel has been able to jog in non-contact, but Thunder has been “overly precautious” with him in contact. “Nothing major,” Donovan said. Expected back Sunday or Monday.
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) July 18, 2020
Although the seeding games count toward when it comes to playoff positioning, the prevailing sentiment is that many teams may hold back a bit during those contests.
In other words, it stands to reason that the Thunder will prioritize having Noel fully healthy when the playoffs begin in mid-August.
For that reason, it makes perfect sense to approach his ankle tweak with extreme caution. Donovan expects him to be back to full capacity early next week.