Lou Williams hopes to be back from injury before All-Star Break

Lou Williams' recovery from a torn ACL is going to be a major storyline when the Atlanta Hawks begin training camp on October 1. Williams shed just a bit of light on when he might return to action in his latest "Road to Recovery" video release for NBA.com.

Williams hasn't been cleared for full contact yet but is doing basketball related drills including playing 3 on 3. He can be seen going through some of those workouts in the video and looks pretty good. Williams indicated with almost a sly grin that he was supposed to say that he is on schedule to return sometime before the All-Star break. Williams just passed the eight month mark since his injury and the hope was when he had surgery that he would be ready in time for camp.

Recovery time on an ACL injury can vary but is typically 8-12 months. Iman Shumpert returned to the court last season from a similar injury in just over eight months. Derrick Rose ended up missing all of last season with a torn ACL in his knee. Barring a setback, it would be hopeful that Williams would be on pace to return sometime in November or December.

If Williams is not ready for opening night then the Hawks may elect to fill their vacant roster spot with one of the six non-roster invitees that are coming to training camp. Once healthy, Williams is expected to remain in a sixth man role where he could see playing time at both point guard and shooting guard.