F Donatas Motiejunas could be integrated back into the Rockets' rotation. Motiejunas has been out with a herniated disc. Because Houston has so few practice days coming up, the Rockets want to work Motiejanas back into game action. .

F/C Donatas Motiejunas was cleared to return to practice this week, a significant step forward after back surgery late last season. Motiejunas missed the final 11 regular-season games and the postseason and has yet to suit up for the Rockets this season.

F/C Donatas Motiejunas participated at the morning shootaround and hopes to return to the team at some point in the near future. He is scheduled to have his back examined Tuesday, and if it goes well, he could be cleared to start practicing for the first time since undergoing back surgery in March.

F Donatas Motiejunas continues to sit with a lower back injury.

Motiejunas (back) has started running but said he remains without a return timetable. Calvin Watkins of ESPN reports.

Motiejunas underwent back surgery in April and has faced a lengthy road to recovery. He's still a ways away from returning to game action, and at this point it appears a return for opening night may be close to out of the question.

Motiejunas (lower-back pain) sat out the Rockets' preseason opener Tuesday against the Grizzlies, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The big man remains without a timetable to return to full practice as he works his way back from offseason surgery, but did make some strides Monday, when he was cleared to begin sprinting. Motiejunas has been working out in on-court drills for about two weeks, and should receive another update on his condition in the days to come. Even in a best-case scenario, it seems likely that Motiejunas will sit out the majority of the Rockets' preseason contests, but the 25-year-old could be ready to play in the Oct. 28 regular-season opener.

Motiejunas, who underwent back surgery in early April, might not be ready for opening night of the regular season as he continues to experience a slow recovery, ESPN's Calvin Watkins reports.

Motiejunas' status for the start of the regular season is questionable, as Rockets GM Daryl Morey commented on Motiejunas' slower-than-expected recovery. "It has been slower than anyone wants. It's too early to determine but certainly not for certain that he'll be ready for the first game," Morey said Friday regarding Motiejunas' situation. It appears Motiejunas will continue to be sidelined for basketball-related activities for the time being.

Motiejunas (back) hasn't resumed running yet during training camp, Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Motiejunas is still recovering from April back surgery and continues to await clearance for basketball-related activities. He was spotted jumping rope during Tuesday's team session, but a return to practice doesn't appear to be on the horizon quite yet.

Motiejunas (back) won't be ready for the start of training camp, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com reports.

Motiejunas' 2014-15 season officially ended on Apr. 9, when he underwent a lumbar microdiscetomy to alleviate pain in his lower back. Expected to require 2-to-3 months to recover, his rehabilitation will instead extend into the initial days of training camp. It's unclear when he'll be cleared for contact, but his availability for the opener on Oct. 28 against the Nuggets is certainly in doubt.

Motiejunas (back) was non-committal when asked if he'd be ready for the start of training camp, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Motiejunas is still without a firm timetable after undergoing back surgery in April, but he's resumed basketball activities and said he's taking things on a "week-to-week" basis. Even if Motiejunas is not ready for camp, he should be at full strength by the time the regular season rolls around in late-October.

Motiejunas (back) is on track to enter training camp fully healthy, the Houston Chronicle reports.

At the end of May, Motiejunas insisted he'd be healthy and ready for training camp. He missed the entire postseason following back surgery in early April, and with the departure of Josh Smith, Motiejunas is in line for an expansive role alongside Terrence Jones and Dwight Howard.

Motiejunas missed the playoffs after he injured his back in March. He averaged 12.0 points, 0.7 three-pointers, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 0.8 steals in 29 minutes per game through 71 games in 2014-15.

In his third year in the NBA, the 24-year-old, who is under team control through 2016-17, vastly improved his game before his back injury, which led to him missing the remainder of the season. More than doubling his scoring numbers and assists, and nearly doubling his minutes and rebounds, Montiejunas shot an impressive 50 percent from the field, 37 percent from three-point range, and a below-average 60 percent from the free-throw line. Before going down in March, Montiejunas increased his scoring to 14 points per game and played 32 minutes per game while Dwight Howard sat out with an injury. Should both he and Howard come back healthy next season, Montiejunas could potentially have to share minutes with unrestricted free agent Josh Smith, Howard, Terrence Jones, and Kostas Papanikolaou who saw minutes in the post.

Motiejunas (back) said Friday that he expects to be ready for the start of training camp, Calvin Watkins of ESPN reports.

Motiejunas is progressing well in his recovery from back surgery in April, and he remains on track to resume basketball activities around mid-summer. Barring a setback, the big man should have no trouble working himself close to full health before camp kicks off in the fall. In his third NBA season, Motiejunas started 62 contests and averaged career-bests across the board, putting up 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game during the regular season. The 24-year-old was sidelined for the entirety of the Rockets' run to the Western Conference Finals.

Motiejunas (back) will not be able to return to basketball activities for 2-to-3 months, Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Motiejunas underwent back surgery in early April and, of course, will not play for Houston during the playoffs. He'll remain limited through the middle of the summer but should be on track to be a full strength when camp opens in the fall.

Motiejunas (back) underwent a lumbar microdiscetomy Thursday, the Houston Chronicle reports.

The procedure is intended to alleviate the discomfort in Motiejunas' lower back, which has afflicted for two weeks and eventually forced the Rockets to rule him out for the season Wednesday. He came into his own due the lengthy recovery efforts of Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones, ending the season with averages of 12 points (on 50 percent shooting), 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.7 three-pointers in 29 minutes.

Motiejunas (back) has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, including the playoffs, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Motiejunas has been dealing with lower-back soreness for the past two weeks, and after an evaluation Wednesday it's been determined that his condition is not improving. As a result, the team will shut him down for the season. It's a huge blow for the Rockets heading into the playoffs, as Motiejunas had emerged as a valuable second or third option offensively. Prior to the injury, Motiejunas was averaging 13.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in just under 32 minutes in the month of March. Houston has not decided what's next for Motiejunas, but surgery may be an option.

Motiejunas (back) is expected to return before season's end, ESPN.com reports.

Last Friday, Motiejunas was shut down for 1-to-2 weeks due to a sore lower back. However, on Sunday, general manager Daryl Morey said that he believes Motiejunas will play again before the playoffs commence. With nine games remaining on the Rockets' schedule, Motiejunas will likely have enough time to regain his typical reps by the season finale on Apr. 15 against the Jazz.

Motiejunas (back) will halt basketball activities for one-to-two weeks and will be re-evaluated at that point.

Motiejunas has been on a day-to-day basis, but now it appears his timetable will be week-to-week. In his absence, Josh Smith will likely continue to receive big minutes until he returns.

Motiejunas (back) will not play Friday against the Timberwolves.

Motiejunas left Friday's shootaround with soreness in his lower back, and he will not take the court Friday night. Josh Smith will get the start in place of Motiejunas, who should be considered questionable for Houston's next game Sunday against the Wizards.

Motiejunas (back) did not go through shootaround and remains questionable for Friday's contest, Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston reports.

Motiejunas has played big minutes in each of the last four games, and he reported some soreness in his lower-back following Wednesday's contest. Missing shootaround is certainly not an encouraging sign, but the team is yet to rule him in or out.