Upon sustaining an acute sprain of his right plantar fascia last Dec. 16 against the Miami Heat, both Torrey and the Chicago Bulls have to be patient during the recovery. Unlike any other, it is truly a sketchy injury as it initially requires taking an immobilization period before doing a full rehabilitation.
But on Saturday night, the wait finally ended for Craig. After months of gradual progress to regain his lateral movement and conditioning, the veteran saw himself back in action for the Bulls against the Sacramento Kings.
Welcome back, TC
In his comeback for the Bulls, Craig saw a restricted exposure in which he registered 5 points in 2-of-5 shooting and three boards for 14 minutes of play. Though he and the Bulls ended up on the losing side, 123-115, he couldn't be more glad to see himself active again after missing the last 22 games.
Despite the fact he wasn't able to meet his initial hilarious projection of a two-week return from his foot injury, he remains blessed to be back two weeks earlier than the 8-10 weeks of healing timetable that was set by the team.
“It was a longer process than I thought,” Craig said. “I had a minor setback early on, but everything’s been good since then, it’s been stronger and feeling better each day. I’m excited to get back.”
A needed return
Torrey's eventual return serves as a welcome sight for the injury-stricken Bulls roster. With Zach LaVine (surgery) out for the season, Patrick Williams (foot) inactive for weeks, Dalen Terry (ankle) shelved for the meantime, and Coby White (ankle) continuing his play, the 32-year-old forward's reactivation and production stand important as the team continues its way to the season.
Before being sidelined, Craig was a crucial piece of the team's significant turnaround in December. He is averaging 6.1 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.2 minutes of play until being unavailable due to his foot complications. And with him finally on the rotation once again, his defense and versatility can only further boost Chicago's competitive fight.
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