Oregon center Nate Bittle is nearing a return to the court as he continues to recover from a wrist injury earlier this season that required surgery.
Bittle suffered his wrist injury three games into the season in a 92-67 home win over Tennessee State on Nov. 17. He scored 9 points in 14 minutes and shot 50% from the field before getting injured. It’s been eight weeks since his surgery which was the targeted return date for Bittle.
According to Oregon head coach Dana Altman, Bittle has a chance to play in this weekend's away series (Thursday vs. Colorado and Saturday vs. Utah) after an evaluation by Oregon’s medical staff on Wednesday.
“He's worked in practice the last couple of days,” Altman said in a press conference with reporters on Wednesday. “Not everything, but he's getting closer. I know he’s meeting with some trainers today to get exactly what they think he can do moving forward. But I wouldn’t anticipate him playing this weekend. He might play a little bit, depending on what they say today.”
The third-year center got injured two games after N’Faly Dante suffered a knee injury against Georgia in the season opener against Georgia in Las Vegas.
Dante returned to action over the weekend against Cal, and logged 8 points, 2 rebounds and a block in 17 minutes.
“[Bittle] might play a little bit, depending on what they say today,” Altman said. “But if he does, you know, he's been out eight weeks. He and Dante both had their surgeries eight weeks ago yesterday.”
If Bittle doesn’t return this week, he has the chance to play at Matthew Knight Arena next week against Arizona State or Arizona.
“You're out eight weeks,” Altman said. “It's pretty tough to bounce back right away.”
More must-reads: