National Basketball Association

Trail Blazers: No Timeline on Noah Vonleh's Return

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Noah Vonleh doesn’t have a timeline for his return to action for the Trail Blazers after suffering a thigh injury late in the offseason.

On a day of mostly good news, Noah Vonleh did disclose that there is no timeline on his return to action after suffering a thigh injury while training in California earlier this summer. This is bad news for the 21-year-old power forward, as playing time in the Trail Blazers‘ post rotation will be highly competitive this year. This is far from an ideal way to start an uphill climb to secure playing time.

Vonleh made 56 starts for the Trail Blazers during the 2015-16 season, but a repeat of those numbers appears to be highly unlikely. The youngster took a seat on the bench in favor of Maurice Harkless late in the regular season, and Al-Farouq Aminu‘s transition to power forward seems to show that a commitment to a smaller lineup will continue into the 2016-17 campaign.

. @NoahVonleh said his thigh injury was the result of a bone spur that broke loose after numerous blows during pickup games

— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) September 26, 2016

The surgery to remove a bone spur from his thigh took took place near the end of August, but no clear timetable has been announced for his return. Vonleh told reporters that he would be evaluated later in the day by team doctors, which should give everyone a more updated idea about his possible return. It will be important for Vonleh to hit the ground running, as he will need to show major improvement to carve out a role on a very deep Trail Blazers roster.

Until he returns, expect Grant Jerrett and Greg Stiemsma to take advantage of the extra reps in practice. Vonleh still has two years remaining on his contract, but the clock is ticking on his development.