Andre Roberson is returning from a ruptured patella tendon in his left knee and the Oklahoma City Thunder are not rushing his comeback. Roberson still is not taking contact in practice according to Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Thunder head coach, Billy Donovan is encouraged by Roberson's progress despite his limitations.

“He looks good running, he looks good moving,” Donovan said to Horne. “I see him out here. He’s doing stuff all the time. But I think it’s totally different trying to regain your timing and those kind of things.

“Like anything else, you want to be able to develop confidence. When you’ve had the type of injury he had, I’m sure starting, stopping, cutting, moving, there’s a confidence that he’s got to build up, like ‘hey, my foot, my knee, everything’s OK here.’ I think that takes a little bit of time. He’s worked really hard to get where he’s at right now, and he’s done a great job of staying engaged with the team, staying motivated to get back, being involved in practice.”

There's no reason to rush Roberson back. Outside of Russell Westbrook and Paul George, Roberson is the most important player on the Thunder (Steven Adams has a strong case too). Roberson and the Thunder were 11.2 points per 100 possessions better defensively when the versatile swingman was on the court.

Roberson's defensive presence completely changes the game. The Thunder were a completely different team after he went down last season. Making sure Roberson comes back completely confident and 100 percent healthy should be Billy Donovan's main concern right now.