Isaiah Thomas closing in on Nuggets debut

For Isaiah Thomas, nothing about his grueling 10-month rehab from season-ending hip surgery last March has been easy. But surely the most difficult chapter of his journey back to the court took place over the last few months as Thomas was restricted to watching his team surge to the top of the Western Conference standings from the sidelines in street clothes.

Thomas can see the light at the end of the tunnel as his rehab draws to a conclusion. The former MVP candidate could make his Nuggets debut as soon as next week, according to a league source. Thomas was set to be assigned to the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats on Friday to participate in a 5-on-5 practice while the Nuggets were in Philadelphia for their nationally televised matchup with the 76ers this evening, but Denver was forced to scrap those plans when injuries to Delaware’s roster altered the Blue Coat’s scheduled practice.

Depending on Thomas’ progression over the weekend, he could be made available to play Monday against the Heat or Wednesday versus the Kings — Denver’s two final games before the All-Star break.

When Thomas does return the court, his exact role is still to be determined. Jamal Murray is firmly entrenched as Denver’s starter, and Monte Morris has captained Denver’s second unit over the Nuggets’ first 54 games this season. Morris, whose role as Denver’s primary backup point guard doesn’t appear to be in danger when Thomas gets back on the floor, is averaging 10.8 points on 49.5 percent shooting from the field, 2.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. After a detailed offseason regimen where he recalibrated the form on his jump shot, Morris is converting on 43.8 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, good for the seventh-best mark in the league among qualified shooters.

Still, Morris’ minutes could still take a slight hit depending on how big of a contributor Thomas is to Denver’s stretch run. When asked about that potential scenario last month, Morris wasn’t worried about how Thomas’ impending return could impact his playing time.

“I’m looking forward to I.T. coming back,” Morris said. “It’s going to be big time for me to just be a part of the journey because it’s going to be a crazy story how he comes back because he has so many naysayers and things like that about his career. Him coming back, I’m not tripping about it. I’m excited.”

Morris’ thoughts on Thomas are echoed throughout the rest of the Nuggets’ locker room. Thomas is a highly-respected veteran who’s held in high regard among his teammates.

“I hope he’s going to be back soon,” Nikola Jokic said last month. “What he’s doing off the court for us, it’s really important for us. He’s keeping the locker room really high energy, he’s keeping the atmosphere really good. He’s the only one who’s going to say something like ‘You’re not playing good, you need to step up.’ That’s what veterans do. That’s why he was the best player when he was in Boston.”

With Gary Harris (right adductor strain) potentially sidelined through the All-Star break, there could be minutes available in Denver’s backcourt over the Nuggets’ next few games.

Paul Millsap (right ankle soreness) is questionable for tonight’s matchup in Philadelphia. Jamal Murray, who missed six games due to an ankle sprain before returning to play 32 minutes in Denver’s 135-130 loss in Brooklyn, has been removed from the Nuggets’ injury report.