Isaiah Thomas is yet to make his debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season as he continues to recover from a hip injury that has kept him off the court since May.The point guard has had to be patient with his rehab and the Cavs have pencilled him in for a return in January. However, that return date could potentially be brought forward as IT has made huge progress in recent weeks and took one step further on Sunday. According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, Thomas participated in full-court five-on-zero offensive drills, marking the first time he has practiced with his teammates in that manner since he was acquired from the Boston Celtics in a trade involving Kyrie Irving in August.

The 28-year-old told Cleveland.com that was "the hardest I've run" during the rehab process and he "felt good for the most part".

The franchise has always maintained that it will take a cautious approach with the two-time All-Star and will not get him back on the floor until he's 100% healthy. 

Thomas says he appreciates the way he's been handled by the Cavaliers and has complete trust in the approach they've adopted to this point. 

"I'm protecting myself, so, even if they wanted me to hurry back, I'm not going to hurry back, just because I've got a long career ahead of me and an important summer as well," Thomas, said, per Joe Vardon of cleveland.com.

"So, I've got to make sure I'm 100 percent healthy before I step out on the floor. But these guys have not rushed me one bit. They've taken their time with me and I appreciate that. Because most teams, they want you out there, especially if things aren't going well."

The Wine and Gold would certainly love to have Thomas back sooner rather than later as they are currently short on healthy point guards. 

As well as IT, Derrick Rose will miss the next 2-3 weeks with an ankle sprain and Iman Shumpert - who has been filling in at the position in recent games - has been ruled out for up to seven days after suffering from knee soreness in the team's last outing against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Head coach Tyronn Lue has confirmed that veteran Jose Calderon will start in Monday night's encounter against the Detroit Pistons. 

But the news of Isaiah's progress is a huge boost for the organisation, although they haven't provided an update on that timeline as yet. 

Having enjoyed a career year last season, posting 28.9 points per game, the All-NBA guard can certainly make a huge difference to the Cavs moving forward in their quest to win another championship.