Oklahoma City Thunder prospect Vit Krejci, who suffered an ACL injury in September, has a timeline for return. The No. 37 overall pick in the 2020 draft plans to start practicing in full in July, according to Czech Sports Daily and Lukas Kuba.
After he gets back in shape with full workouts in July, Krejci plans to play five-on-five basketball in August. Depending on how the NBA lines up the schedule for the 2021-22 season, this should put him on track to play in the Summer League.
Krejci was traded on draft night in November 2020 from the Washington Wizards to the Thunder along with Admiral Schofield in exchange for the rights to No. 53 overall pick Cassius Winston and a 2024 second-round draft pick.
#Thunder draftee Vit Krejci did an interview with Czech Sport daily. Says the plan is for him to start practicing full-out in July and start playing 5-on-5 games in August.
— Lukas Kuba (@Luke_Mellow) March 20, 2021
Krejci has been rehabbing in Oklahoma City, he told the Czech news outlet. The translated copy read the following, with a slight adjustment to the sentence structure made by OKC Thunder Wire:
“I work out in the gym with a trainer who does individual exercises for the guys on the team. I train with the ball on the board, where I am under the assistant coach’s supervision.”
The 6-foot-7 guard, who played 18 games last year for Tecnyconta Zaragoza in the top Spanish league, is in frequent contact with Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and Sam Presti.
Daigneault and Krejci speak after every game. The translation reads:
“I call after each match and discuss things from the match, and I see him in the hall once a week.”
Presti has expressed patience with the 20-year-old.
“(He said) that I’m their asset for the future,” Krejci said, according to Kuba.
Vit Krejci on Sam Presti: "We talk together often. He said he doesn't want to hurry anything, that I'm their asset for the future and they'll be patient with my rehab. He's pleased with the rehab process." #ThunderUp
— Lukas Kuba (@Luke_Mellow) March 20, 2021
This post originally appeared on OKCThunderWire. Follow us on Facebook!
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