Suns forward T.J. Warren ‘headed in the right direction’ in return from head injury

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Missing 18 points a game will take its toll on any NBA team. For the Phoenix Suns, the cost has been high. They’ve lost eight of 11 with starting small forward T.J. Warren sidelined because of a minor head injury.

But there’s good news to report: Warren is nearing a return, likely sooner rather than later.

Warren, the Suns’ third-leading scorer, took his next step in his recovery with fullcourt scrimmaging at practice on Monday.

“Felt great. Felt good to be back on the court with my teammates,” he said, sweat dripping off his brow. “We got up-and-down a little bit. Did a lot of intense stuff. It was good to go out there and compete for a little bit out there.”

Head coach Earl Watson estimated Warren went hard for 40 minutes, playing 3-on-3 and 4-on-4.

“He played well. He played hard, had some moments,” Watson said, adding Warren finished with a handful of and-1s. “He said his timing isn’t back yet offensively, but I don’t think that ever comes back until you get into the game action. It’s different from practice and games. T.J. is the type of player, he can get into a game and when he gets it going scoring-wise, his momentum and basket-after-basket, (his timing) can pick up very quickly.”

Monday was Warren’s second practice in three days. The scrimmaging left him a bit winded, he said, so whether or not he’s game-ready yet is unknown.

“I’m not sure. I haven’t really decided when,” Warren said, referring to his return. “Just when I’m fully confident and fully comfortable to be back out there. It’s progress, and I’m headed in the right direction.

“It’s really on me.”

The Suns list Warren as questionable for Tuesday’s home game against the New York Knicks.

“It’s up to T.J., whenever he feels ready,” Watson said. “We don’t want to rush him back. When he’s ready, he’ll let us know.”

It’s been more than three weeks since Warren last saw any NBA action. He exited the game at Indiana on Nov. 18 not feeling well, and he was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Five days later the Suns announced Warren would be out indefinitely due to a minor head injury.

“It’s been tough not having him,” point guard Eric Bledsoe said. “His scoring, his defensive presence. We needed him. We’ve been in games we should’ve won, but I don’t think that’s missing T.J. It’s just us beating ourselves.”

Prior to his injury, Warren had gotten off to an excellent start in his third professional season. He was averaging career highs in points (17.7), rebounds (4.3) assists (1.0) and steals (1.9), the latter of which still leads the Suns.

Warren was also shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from 3-point range.

“I’m trying to get back sharp now, so I can pick back up where I left off,” he said. “I know it’s going to be hard, but I’m ready and I just got to get my conditioning back and just get back into it.”

Warren has dealt with several injuries in his young career: a small fracture in his left thumb delayed the start of his rookie season, a right foot fracture cost him the final 34 games last season and now a minor head injury has kept him out for the past 11 games.

“It’s been tough, but everything happens for a reason,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s been hard to battle these injuries, but I’m ready to make this full recovery and come back full strength.”

FREE THROWS

— The Knicks’ visit marks the return of former Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek, who is now leading the Eastern Conference’s third-best team, tied with Charlotte, at 14-10. Hornacek was fired a year ago, 49 games into his third season, and replaced by Watson.

“Tough situation,” Watson said. “You never want to be a part of anything like that, and for me, I never imagined my first job being that way at all.”

Hornacek went 101-112 in his time with the Suns. His first year was also Bledsoe’s first year in Phoenix, and the two developed a close relationship.

“He let me come out and play my game within the team. He taught us how to play the game the right way,” Bledsoe said. “It was fun times having him coach me.”

— For the fourth time in seven games, the Suns allowed an opponent to make at least 40-percent of their 3-point attempts when the New Orleans Pelicans went 16-of-40 in a 120-119 overtime win on Sunday. On the season, the Suns are the second-worst team defending the 3.

“Our main thing is closing out with a contested hand,” Watson said. “We have to build our defense out from the rim out, and we built out from the paint. Now we’re on the perimeter. The main thing is just contest.”

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