DeAndre’ Bembry not cleared for contact, aims to return before season opener

On Sep. 13, the Atlanta Hawks announced that second-year wing DeAndre’ Bembry would absent from basketball activities for 4-to-6 weeks as a result of a strained right tricep. During his Media Day availability, though, Bembry provided a more positive timetable for his recovery.

In short, Bembry revealed that he plans to be ready for the regular season opener. “I'm feeling a lot better,” Bembry said. “It's actually getting better way faster than I thought it was going to be. I'm definitely looking forward to being back before the (regular) season actually starts.

As for the published timetable, Bembry indicated that he is actually ahead of schedule. He said “there was some extra time” in the 4-to-6 week window and that neither he nor the doctors knew “how fast (Bembry) would recover.” Beyond that, he reinforced that there has been real improvement over the past two weeks.

It should be noted that the former first round pick did indicate that he is not yet cleared for contact, though Bembry hopes to be back on the floor this week. Nothing firm is available regarding his full clearance but, with three weeks before opening night, the latest information seems optimistic with regard to DeAndre’ Bembry taking the floor alongside his teammates in Dallas.