Injury Update: Evan Turner To Have Cast Removed Friday

As the calendar turns to March and the Portland Trail Blazers prepare for the home stretch of their season, they may be regaining a key ingredient to their hopeful success. Evan Turner, out since February 7 with a broken third metacarpal in his right hand, is expected to return to the court in the not-too-distant future, as first reported by The Oregonian’s Mike Richman:

It is important to note that it was not clear whether Turner, who did not have surgery on the hand and was expected to miss 5-6 weeks, was referring to returning to practice or to actual games. Nevertheless, this is likely welcome news for Blazers fans, as Turner was starting to show some consistency on the court before the injury.

Turner is averaging 9.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists over just above 26 minutes per game. He has played in 50 games and made 10 starts, and had recently been inserted into the starting lineup prior to breaking his hand.