T.J. Warren was one of several Nets returning this season from surgery, and he may be the final player to return to the court.
Warren was a low-risk, high-reward signing by Brooklyn this offseason after dealing with surgery for consecutive stress fractures in his left foot. Nets head coach Steve Nash revealed earlier this month that Warren would be reassessed next month and the forward said that he was progressing.
“I’m doing everything I can,” Warren said on Saturday at a community event in Brooklyn. “The training staff has been great and I like my progression. I’m on track so I’m excited about that.”
Warren had been handing out Wellfare’s ‘Eat & Move’ better boxes to public housing residents in Bushwick. The program provides households in underserved communities with nutritious food and wellness resources, and the event had been one of Warren’s first in the Brooklyn community.
Saturday’s event had tipped off a new partnership with the Nets, New York Liberty, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and Wellfare.
The Nets inked Warren to a deal in July after he had spent the entirety of his career in Phoenix and Indiana. Warren said that he had been enjoying his time in Kings County thus far, but had been looking forward to getting back on the court.
“I’m just excited to get back out there,” he said. “It’s been so long. So definitely exciting to do what I love to do. And I just can’t wait. I could just feel that itch. But (today) we’re here to talk about the community and basketball stuff, that will come.”
Warren’s injury history over the past few seasons had tripped up what had been an outstanding season in the bubble with Indiana. However, he has been limited to just four games over the past two seasons, which included missing all f the 2021-22 campaign.
During that time he underwent the two procedures, with the second one being performed by Nets team orthopedist, Dr. Martin O’Malley. Part of that gave Warren ease when he signed in Brooklyn.
“There’s definitely a comfort level (with) O’Malley actually being the team doctor here,” Warren said. “And he’s seen everything since Day 1, so kind of just like me being a peace of mind just knowing that he’s in my corner here.”
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Warren’s focus on Saturday was more on the community than discussing basketball and immersing himself ore in the Brooklyn culture.
“Like I said before, this is my first event doing something like this,” he said. “So definitely want to do more in the community. Definitely be able to show my face as a Brooklyn Net, show that it is real, that being able to represent Brooklyn as a culture as a community, it’s a good thing to do.”
