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Indiana freshman guard Aleksa Ristic 'getting closer and closer' to a return from injury

headshotby: Alec Lasley12 hours agoallasley

Indiana basketball is slowly getting closer to full strength as key members of its expected rotation are progressing from injury.

Indiana head coach Darian DeVries said on Monday during his weekly radio show that freshman guard Aleksa Ristic is ‘getting closer and closer’ to returning to action. Ristic, who suffered a lower-body injury during preseason practice in the fall, has been off the court since mid-September.

“He’s getting closer and closer, so we’re excited about that,” DeVries said. “He’s someone, again, that gives you just another ball handler, another decision maker, another guy that really understands what we’re trying to do.”

Sources told TheHoosier.com that a potential return in December is possible, but it’ll depend on how things continue to progress with getting back into shape, and basketball shape.

Aleksa Ristic was a late add to the Indiana basketball roster as he committed to the Hoosiers in June and didn’t arrive in Bloomington until July 30, following his play in the EuroBasket U20 event in Europe over the summer.

Related: Serbian wing Aleksa Ristic breaks down Indiana commitment — ‘I knew they were a big basketball place’

He averaged 11.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists a game — ranked 4th in the tournament — in EuroBasket. He had 44 assists to just 17 turnovers in seven games — a 2.59 assist to turnover ratio.

After just ‘one or two’ practices in Bloomington, Ristic joined Indiana on its three-game exhibition tour in Puerto Rico and averaged 4.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game.

Ristic has been one of four players out for the start of the season, including guard Jason Drake and forward Josh Harris — who remain out. Nick Dorn, who missed the entire summer, also missed the start of the season but made his Indiana debut against Milwaukee.

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While just a freshman, Ristic has a ‘great understanding’ of the game and it’s something that is going to be extremely valuable to Indiana when he does return to the floor.

“He has a great understanding of the game … incredible understanding of what teams are trying to do and has learned very quickly with all the terminologies,” DeVries said. “So that’s going to make his transition even more smooth.”

With Dorn’s return to the floor, it gave Indiana additional depth on the wing. Ristic’s return will give the Hoosiers more depth as a ball handler, something it is lacking. Indiana’s backcourt is thin early in the season with Tayton Conerway and Conor Enright as the only two ‘main’ ball handlers on the floor.

Conerway is averaging 11.9 points and 5.3 assists in 29 minutes a game while Enright has averages of 4.1 points and 4.3 assists in 27 minutes.

“He’s going to add to our depth and really give us a valuable piece as we continue on throughout the season,” DeVries added of Ristic.

Indiana begins Big Ten play on Wednesday night at Minnesota.

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