Portland Trail Blazers center Festus Ezeli has suffered a "minor setback" in his current rehabilitation from a knee injury, according to latest reports.
Ezeli, who turned 27 late last month, was signed by the Blazers to a two-year, $15.1 deal in July via free-agency from the Golden State Warriors. A month and a half later, he was ruled out for six weeks following a left knee injection called a "bone marrow aspirate procedure" to cure a chronic knee injury.
He was scheduled to play in the Blazers' season-opening game against the Utah Jazz on Oct. 25, but his club debut was delayed as his rehab did not go according to schedule.
ESPN reported that the healing recently suffered another "minor setback" with swelling in his left knee, which happens every after practice.
"I practiced, and that's what happens sometimes - it reacts, swells up, you go back, regress and come back," said Ezeli, via CSNNW.
Blazers training personnel have gotten easy on his rehab since the swelling took place and said that "they will take a cautious approach until he is good enough to play in his first game". There is no particular timeline yet as to when the former Vanderbilt standout can return.
"I'm just continuing to work and grind through this rehab," Ezeli said. "That's all I can do."
Ezeli is intended to be the main backup for starting center Mason Plumlee or play some starter minutes himself when needed. But the delay in his treatment has forced Blazers head coach Terry Stotts to utilize 2012 first-round pick Meyers Leonard for the said role.
The one-time NBA champion has been injury-prone in all of his three-year professional career as he has never played a complete 82-game season so far.
The closest he could come was during his rookie year in 2012-2013 when he suited up in 78 games, starting 41 times, for the Warriors. He had played 46 games in the next two seasons, including the last one.
Last season, he played a career-high 16.7 minutes per game, resulting also in career-high numbers of 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds for Golden State before deciding to move to Portland in the summer.