NZ Breakers forward Zylan Cheatham hasn't played since late October. Photo / Photosport
NZ Breakers forward Zylan Cheatham hasn't played since late October. Photo / Photosport
Confidence will be the deciding factor in whether New Zealand Breakers star Zylan Cheatham will make his return to Spark Arena on Friday night.
Cheatham has been sidelined since fracturing his foot against the Adelaide 36ers on October 26, bringing an abrupt halt to his blazing start to the season.
In four games, the 28-year-old American averaged 19 points and five rebounds, shooting at 60 per cent from three-point range and leading the league in free throws made per game.
After the star forward had returned to training at full capacity over the past week, Breakers coach Mody Maor told the Herald on Wednesday it was looking like Cheatham would play on Friday. However, it is understood a decision as to whether Cheatham would take to the court was trending in the other direction on Thursday.
Speaking to media before the team’s Thursday afternoon practice, Cheatham admitted he remained a game-time decision for Friday night’s clash against the Sydney Kings.
“At this point, it’s just all about my own mental comfortability,” Cheatham said. “The thing with this injury is it’s not so much that I’m worried about my foot, it’s that I’m worried about the rest of my body.
“I haven’t been in a situation where I’ve played live and bump and stuff like that, so I’m just being a little bit careful in that sense. But I think the guys are confident I could bring something to the table, I’m confident in myself that I could, so we’ll see.”
It’s the first time in his career Cheatham has had to work his way back in the middle of a season. Past injuries have come at more convenient times. When he does make his return, it will initially be with a significant minutes restriction as he builds his in-game fitness.
“The basketball conditioning is something you really can’t imitate. There’s no treadmill, there’s no drill that can imitate live action,” Cheatham said.
“I did my part in terms of what I was able to do – whether it was pool conditioning or treadmill conditioning – but there’s nothing like getting out there and playing live. I’m not as far back as I thought, though.”
Zylan Cheatham defends against Utah Jazz forward Kelly Olynyk. Photo / AP
While Cheatham’s status remains up in the air, fellow injured Breaker Will McDowell-White is more confident he will be available for Friday night’s game – also on a sizeable minutes restriction – after his surprisingly fast recovery from a fractured fibula.
McDowell-White suffered the injury on November 16 and said the targeted return date for him was on January 20. He’ll be back a month ahead of schedule.
“They initially said six to eight [weeks] and I said I could get it down to three or four,” he joked.
Like Cheatham, McDowell-White – who emerged as one of the league’s best point guards last season – will have to be patient to get back to his best as he has done little to no running since the injury.
He said his initial recovery plan had him only due to begin jogging again about now. For about three weeks he was under strict instructions to keep strain off the fractured leg. He could do stationary workouts, but even if the ball rolled away from him, he wasn’t allowed to chase it.
“I healed well, everything went pretty smoothly so I’ve been glad to be back on the court in the last couple of days and ready to get back out there.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
