NBA Rumors: Nets' T.J. Warren to Play vs. Raptors, 1st Game Since 2020 Due to Injury

Brooklyn Nets forward T.J. Warren is targeting a return on Dec. 2 against the Toronto Raptors, according to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.

Warren has been progressing to "steady five-on-five play" as he recovers from his foot injury, per Charania.

The 29-year-old has not played an NBA game since Dec. 29, 2020 with the Indiana Pacers. He needed surgery to repair a stress fracture on his left foot and missed the remainder of the 2020-21 season and entire 2021-22 season a result.

After missing all of 2021-22, Warren signed a one-year deal with the Nets this offseason.

"I'm doing everything I can," he said in October. "The training staff has been great and I like my progression. I'm on track so I'm excited about that."

Expectations should be limited after Warren played only four games in the last two years combined, but he has showed plenty of upside when healthy. The 29-year-old averaged a career-high 19.8 points per game during his last full season in 2019-20, shooting 53.6 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from three-point range.

Warren especially turned heads during the NBA restart from the COVID-19 pandemic, averaging 31 points in six games in the Orlando bubble.

His return could provide some much-needed scoring depth for the Nets behind Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Brooklyn enters Sunday with a 9-11 record, tied for 10th in the Eastern Conference.