JaVale McGee Injury: Updates on Nuggets Center's Leg and Recovery

JaVale McGee has been out since Dec. 5 battling an aggravated tibia muscle. However, he was listed as active for a Jan. 28 game against the New Orleans Pelicans. 

Continue for updates.

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McGee Active vs. Pelicans 

Wednesday, Jan. 28

For the first time since Dec. 5, JaVale McGee has been listed as active tonight for the Denver Nuggets according to Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post:

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McGee Returns to Practice

Saturday, Jan. 24

Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post reported McGee would not return to practice:

Dempsey previously reported McGee returned to practice:

On Wednesday, Jan. 7 general manager Tim Connolly told reporters that the oft-injured McGee could return within a week, per Dempsey:

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McGee Battles to Return

Wednesday, Jan. 7

In need of a center with Timofey Mozgov shipped to Cleveland, help may be coming for the Denver Nuggets from their own bench.

McGee has not played since Dec. 5 due to an aggravated muscle in the tibia he had surgically repaired last season. The 7-footer was limited to five games in 2013-14 after suffering a stress fracture in his left leg and has struggled to stay on the floor since returning.

After appearing in the first 13 games of the season in a limited capacity, the Nuggets briefly shut him down hoping rest would get him back to 100 percent. He immediately reaggravated the injury in a Dec. 5 loss to the Washington Wizards and has been an intermittent fixture around the facility since.

USA TODAY Sports

Head coach Brian Shaw initially told reporters he heard six weeks was a general timetable, so a return next week would generally fall in line. The Nuggets have a home-and-home against the Dallas Mavericks, and one of those dates could be a target.

Shaw will be anxious to get McGee back in the fold simply so he doesn't have to rely so heavily on rookie Jusuf Nurkic. Wednesday's trade of Mozgov, the Nuggets' starting center for each of the first 35 games, opened a hole on the roster. Nurkic has been impressive in limited doses, but Denver would prefer to bring him along slowly and avoid J.J. Hickson playing center as much as possible.

Relying on McGee hasn't exactly been a fruitful endeavor, but it's one the Nuggets will be forced to continue. With another year at $12 million remaining on his contract, McGee is in Denver to stay. Whether he's able to stay on the court is another question entirely.

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