Cavaliers' Lauri Markkanen could return Thursday at Pistons?

The 35-23 Cleveland Cavaliers stopped being a mere positive surprise of the opening half of the 2021-22 NBA season some time ago but experienced a bit of a swoon and dropped two consecutive matchups ahead of the break linked with the All-Star Game that was held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, their home, this past weekend. 

Things haven't been easy for a Cavaliers side that has thus far survived multiple injury issues, but Cleveland could be getting a key piece back in the rotation as soon as Thursday's matchup at the 13-45 Detroit Pistons. 

Per Serena Winters of Bally Sports, Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters Wednesday that forward Lauri Markkanen "was able to do everything at practice today and looked good," meaning the 24-year-old could return to action Thursday night if he doesn't experience a setback beforehand. 

As Jon Rudder noted for Audacy, Markkanen has been sidelined since he went down with a high-ankle sprain against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 22 and missed 11 consecutive contests before the All-Star break. 

"Obviously, being a basketball player, I rolled my ankle before. I know how it feels, but this felt different," Markkanen explained on Wednesday. "(This injury) hurt more than my previous ankle sprains, so I thought it's going to be more significant. Then I did the imaging and found out what it was. I mean, it was a relief that I might not miss as much time as I thought I would." 

Markkanen was averaging 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game before he became a spectator last month. The Cavs host the Washington Wizards on Saturday evening, so Bickerstaff may wait an extra couple of days to bring the big man back in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.