Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin has been cleared by team doctors to return to basketball activities, the club announced.
Griffin has missed the first nine games of the season with hamstring and knee injuries. His potential return to game action will be monitored on a day-to-day basis.
The Pistons previously announced that the big man would be out until early November due to hamstring and posterior knee soreness. Griffin told The Athletic's Shams Charania earlier this week that he believed his season debut was on the horizon.
"I'm close, very close," Griffin said. "The training staff tells me it's one day at a time. They tell me what I'm doing the next day, and that's it, because they know I'd go crazy if I have a timetable.
"The team has a plan and I trust our training staff. They know what they're doing so I'm going to listen to them."
Griffin joined the Pistons midway through the 2017-18 campaign in an unexpected trade after spending eight-and-a-half seasons starring with the Los Angeles Clippers. The forward has since rejuvenated his career in the Motor City.
The 30-year-old led Detroit in scoring last season, as he averaged 24.5 points over 75 games. He also evolved into a consistent perimeter threat, shooting 36.2% from deep on a career-high seven attempts per contest.
However, injuries again plagued the Oklahoma product in 2018-19. A lingering left knee ailment forced Griffin to miss the first two games against the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round of the playoffs, and though he returned for Games 3 and 4, he was visibly still in pain and couldn't help the Pistons avoid being swept. He then underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee after the season.
