Oubre suggested Thursday that he expects to transition into a smaller brace to protect his surgically repaired left hand, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports. He anticipates wearing the brace for 1-to-2 weeks. "And then right after [the 1-to-2-week period] we'll be at All-Star break," Oubre said. "And then that's, Godspeed, the plan to come back."
Oubre has been on the mend from Jan. 5 surgery for just under a month and hasn't made much in the way of tangible progress over the past few weeks while waiting for his hand to heal. At this point, Oubre has been limited to taking part in pregame conditioning work and putting up shots strictly with his right, non-shooting hand, but the 27-year-old is optimistic he'll be able to accelerate his recovery once he sheds the splint he has on his left hand for a sleeker brace. Once healthy, Oubre tentatively projects to settle into a role as the Hornets' sixth man, though the Charlotte roster could look different following next week's trade deadline.
