Rubio joined in practice by Pekovic, Martin; all 3 could return in January

When Ricky Rubio returns from his ankle injury, his pick-and-roll partner and on-court bodyguard will be joining him.

The Diesel to Rubio's Shawn Michaels, Nikola Pekovic is nearing a return from injury, too, as is Kevin Martin. The three veterans practiced together for the first time since mid-November on Wednesday, and all three could return to the Minnesota Timberwolves in January, possibly by the middle of the month.

That trio has combined to miss 67 games - 70 after Thursday - and the Wolves are 5-25 as a result. Given the amount of young talent being given time to develop, and the quality expected to be at the top of the 2015 NBA Draft, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Getting the veterans back won't make for a playoff push, but it should allow the Wolves to begin to build a chemistry for next year.

"I'm anxious for those guys to get back and blend in with some of these guys," head coach Flip Saunders said.

Rubio has been out since suffering a severe ankle sprain on Nov. 7, opening up an opportunity for Zach LaVine to learn the point guard position. Pekovic has been out since Nov. 15 with a sprained wrist, opening up time for Gorgui Dieng, and Martin has been out since Nov. 19 with a broken wrist, putting a heavier burden on Andrew Wiggins and Shabazz Muhammad on the wings.

Despite the poor record, there have been a lot of positive developments with those young players. Saunders will have a tough task balancing minutes when everyone returns, but that's a positive problem for a rebuilding club to run into.