While at Team USA minicamp in Las Vegas Thursday, Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving said he has been back on the court for the last few months, though he has not been cleared for five-on-five basketball.
Irving, entering his second year with Boston, said he will “easily’’ be ready for training camp.
Most of his sessions recently have consisted of individual workouts focusing on skill work and movement with his trainer, whom Irving worked with one on one on Thursday.
“I mean, it’s the summer,’’ Irving said. “I utilize that to make sure I’m healthy going into training camp. Obviously, I would love to be playing five on five.’’
Thirty-five players were invited to participate in the three-day Team USA minicamp, which wraps up Friday.
Irving’s recovery is on track with the timeline the team announced in April, when he underwent a procedure to remove two screws that were causing an infection in his left knee. Irving revealed Thursday the hardware, had it not been removed, could have become even more problematic.
“It could have evolved to staph, but good thing we caught it early,’’ he said. “I am glad that it is done though, man. That was a long, long [expletive] two months.’’
Irving said he was on antibiotics for about two months following the surgery.
“It was a long, rigorous practice trying to get that infection out, make sure I was safe and then rehabbing from there,’’ he said. “I’ve been rehabbing for the last month and some change, where I actually can do something without much restriction.’’
Celtics forward Gordon Hayward also was invited to participate in Team USA minicamp, but he did not attend. Hayward is recovering from having a plate and screws removed from his left ankle because they were causing him pain. He also is expected to be ready to go for training camp.
Both players have expressed excitement for their returns.
“The most important thing right now is finding our cohesion,’’ Irving said. “Finding that is going to be a process, which I am looking forward to doing with Danny [Ainge], Brad [Stevens], [and] everybody.’’
